US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin said on Friday that he believes it is “absolutely possible” to conduct a military operation in Rafah and protect civilians.
“The question is, ‘Is it possible to conduct effective operations and protect civilians?’ Absolutely, it’s possible. We clearly believe in that, and that's what we endeavor to do in any operation that we conduct. The Israeli military is a professional military, and again, they have the ability to do both of those,” Austin said when asked about a potential Israel’s major operation in Rafah.
Austin added that there have been "far too many" civilian casualties so far in Gaza.
At the meantime, the upcoming National Security Memorandum report on the use of US-supplied weapons, which the US State Department is expected to submit to Congress soon, does not conclude that Israel has violated any law during its military operations in Gaza, ABC reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
While the report does not conclude that Israel has violated either the US or international law, it nevertheless contains criticism of some Israeli actions amid its military campaign in Gaza, the report said.