The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has denied withholding intelligence regarding the locations of "Hamas" leaders from Israel in an effort to pressure them into backing off from launching a full-scale assault in Rafah, according to the American newspaper "New York Post." A representative from the National Security Council told the newspaper: "We have already assisted Israel in targeting Hamas leaders, and this work is ongoing. We are not holding anything back; we believe it is necessary and should be done to hold Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar accountable for the horrors of the October 7 attack."
The initial report claiming that the United States concealed information from Israel came from four sources who spoke to the American newspaper "Washington Post" on condition of anonymity. According to the report, U.S. officials also offered "to help provide thousands of shelters and assist in building systems for delivering food, water, and medicine, so that Palestinians displaced from Rafah can have a livable space." Biden and his senior aides have been making such offers over the past few weeks in hopes of convincing Israel to carry out a limited operation in Rafah and to refrain from launching a major attack on the southern Gaza Strip city.
The United States has provided Israel with intelligence throughout the seven-month war. Senior aides to Biden are now trying to persuade Israeli officials that they can eliminate the remaining "Hamas" brigades in Rafah with more strikes that the United States can help with by pinpointing the locations of the group's senior leaders.
