Did 'Israel' cross Biden's red line in Rafah? White House unsure yet
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The Biden administration is still assessing whether killing 45 Palestinian civilians in refugee camps crossed Joe Biden's red line or not.
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United States President Joe Biden speaks at the Biden campaign headquarters in Wilmington, the United States, on February 3, 2024 (AP)
United States President Joe Biden and his administration are yet to put out a final statement on the Israeli strike that killed at least 45 forcibly displaced Palestinians who were living in camps set up in Rafah on Sunday.
Two US officials told Axios that the Biden administration is still assessing whether the blatant murdering of displaced people in makeshift camps is a violation of Biden's "red line". Nearly two days have passed since the attack occurred on Sunday, showing clearly Biden's intent to draw a line in the sand to the Israeli attack on Rafah.
It is important to note that the Biden administration conducts its own investigations of such incidents, hundreds of which have occurred in the Gaza Strip over the past eight months, yet has failed to condemn any of them as war crimes or genocidal actions.
For some, the Israeli attack on the campsite in Rafah did not only test Biden's "red line" but also came as a direct response to the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) order demanding "Israel" halt its military operation in Rafah.
Israeli occupation forces said that the incident is being investigated, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that firing multiple "a tragic mistake."
A US official said that the White House is still in the process of determining what exactly happened in order to decide if the blatant crime warrants US action. If it does, one must ask why other well-documented crimes condemned by international organizations do not warrant US action.
Despite what Israeli and US officials are leading the public to believe, the incident is not an isolated case, in fact following Sunday night, the Israeli regime intensified its bombing of Rafah, in what has been described as the most intense bombardment campaign on the city.
Read more: Israeli soldier confesses to killing US elderly man in West Bank
Israeli crimes are not isolated incidents
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that Israeli forces concentrated their attacks on the western part of Rafah, unleashing relentless airstrikes and shelling that persisted for hours without pause, resulting in dozens of martyrs and wounded.
Forcibly displaced families were also entrapped due to the nonstop bombing preventing rescue teams and medics from reaching them. The vicinity of the Emirati Hospital in western Rafah was heavily targeted by Israeli artillery, while quadcopters roamed around the facility opening fire at civilians and journalists trying to flee the area.
Israeli military vehicles stormed the area covered by intense shelling, which directly hit several homes.
Occupation forces also stormed the cemetery of the Zaarib family and exhumed a number of graves.
Additionally, Israeli artillery targeted the Tell al-Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah with dozens of shells, two of which hit houses in the Saudi neighborhood. The occupation forces shelled the Indonesian field hospital, while aircraft simultaneously targeted ambulances and civil defense crews near the Tell al-Sultan police station. Forces fired shells and opened fire at the Tell al-Sultan clinic, trapping the medical staff and over 70 displaced persons inside.
Several people were martyred as a result of Israeli attacks on tents sheltering forcibly displaced families in Tell al-Sultan. Meanwhile, due to artillery shelling, a fire broke out in the Abu Marqa residential building and nearby agricultural greenhouses.
Additionally, helicopters directed heavy machine gunfire at the eastern and southeastern areas of Rafah. Moreover, The Israeli forces launched fire belts targeting the Brazil neighborhood in eastern Rafah, causing fires in the area. They also targeted the Yebna and Shaboura refugee camps in the city center.
All of these war crimes occurred, while a White House committee studied the events leading up to the crime on Sunday, to no avail.
Read more: 'Outrageous,' Biden calls ICC warrants against Israeli officials
