Blinken doubts Israel to attack Rafah before U.S.-Israel talks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday he doubted Israel would attack Rafah before new talks next week in Washington, which has raised concerns over an assault on the packed Gaza city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that a date was set for a ground offensive in Rafah, vowing to go ahead to root out Hamas despite international concerns over 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering in the city.

Blinken said that Israel has not communicated a date for an operation to the United States and that an Israeli delegation would visit Washington next week to hear U.S. concerns.

"I don't anticipate any actions being taken before those talks; for that matter, I don't see anything imminent," Blinken told a joint news conference with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

The United States will again make the case that major military operations in Rafah would be "extremely dangerous for civilians who have been caught in harm's way," Blinken said.