Austin to Gallant: Palestinian Safety Must Be Ensured Before Rafah Operations Begin

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin emphasized to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Friday the necessity of establishing a reliable plan to ensure the safety of displaced Palestinians in Rafah, southern Gaza, before any military operations begin there. The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) stated that the two discussed Israeli military operations in Khan Younis during a telephone conversation. Austin also spoke with Galant about the need to improve procedures to avoid mistakenly targeting humanitarian organizations. He stressed the importance of ensuring the delivery of more aid to Palestinian civilians and discussed with Galant the violence that is hindering the arrival of humanitarian convoys to Gaza. The Times of Israel reported on Thursday that there were fierce clashes between protesters and Israeli security forces at the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The newspaper did not provide further details or state the reason, but there have been repeated protests by Israelis near the crossing demanding the prevention of aid entering Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on launching a ground attack on Rafah to defeat Hamas in its "last stronghold" and to free the hostages held in Gaza since the attack on October 7.