White House assessing if Israel violated "red line" with Rafah strike
Middle East,Israel Hamas Violence,Joe Biden,Biden Administration,Israel,World,Foreign Policy
The Biden administration is still assessing whether an Israeli strike that killed at least 45 displaced Palestinians at a tent camp in Rafah on Sunday is a violation of President Biden's "red line," two U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: Biden threatened earlier this month to suspend the delivery of some U.S.-made offensive weapons if Israel entered population centers in Rafah, the city in southern Gaza viewed as Hamas' last stronghold.
U.S. officials later explained that a humanitarian crisis as a result of the mass displacement of civilians from Rafah could also constitute a violation of Biden's red line.
The big picture: The airstrike was the deadliest incident in Rafah since Israel began its offensive in the city in early May, with health officials in Hamas-run Gaza reporting that women and children were among those killed.
