Contradicting Netanyahu, Gallant told Austin no date set for Rafah op — source

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US counterpart Lloyd Austin during a call yesterday that Israel has not set a date for the launch of a major ground offensive in Rafah, contradicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

Gallant said Israel is still finalizing its plans to evacuate the roughly 1.5 million Palestinians currently sheltering in Gaza’s southernmost city after fleeing the fighting areas to the north, the source says, confirming reporting in Axios and Haaretz.

The call took place hours after Netanyahu claimed in a public statement that a date had been set for the Rafah operation.

“If he has a date he hasn’t shared it with us,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters earlier today when asked if Jerusalem had briefed Washington on its plans.

He went on to note that Netanyahu “makes public statements [but] also talks to us in private about aspects of operations and their thinking with Rafah in some considerable detail,” indicating that there is often a discrepancy between the two.