From the Liveblog of
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Sullivan calls Hanegbi to mark Memorial Day, affirms ‘ironclad US commitment to Israel’s security’
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National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi, to express his condolences on behalf of US President Joe Biden and the American people on Israel’s Memorial Day.
Noting that this is the first Memorial Day commemorating the victims of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, in which some 1,200 Israelis were murdered, mostly civilians, Sullivan affirms “the ironclad US commitment to Israel’s security and the defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” according to a US readout from the call.
Sullivan and Hanegbi also discuss the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to secure the release of 128 hostages kidnapped on October 7 and still held by Hamas.
The US national security adviser reiterates the Biden administration’s concerns over Israel’s planned major offensive in the crowded city of Rafah, which Hanegbi confirms are being taken into account, according to the readout.
Over one million Palestinians are sheltering in Gaza’s southernmost city, during the ongoing fighting, and the US is concerned about the feasibility of evacuating them to avoid civilian casualties and the potential use of high-payload bombs in urban areas. Biden withheld a shipment of high payload bombs last week amid fears they would be used in Rafah.
The Times of Israel Community.