Gaza war: Israeli offensive in Rafah would be a huge mistake, says US Vice President Kamala Harris

United States (US) Vice President Kamala Harris said on Sunday (Mar 24) that Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip's Rafah would be a huge mistake. “We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake," Vice President Harris told ABC News. On being asked whether there would be consequences of the Rafah offensive, Harris said, "I am ruling out nothing."

"Let me tell you something: I have studied the maps. There's nowhere for those folks to go. And we're looking at about a million and a half people in Rafah who are there because they were told to go there, most of them," she also told the American news network.

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The vice president further opposed the killing of innocent Palestinians, affirming the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in "equal security and dignity."

'Israel risks further global isolation if it attacks Rafah'

Kamala Harris' remarks on Sunday came two days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Israel risked further global isolation if it attacked Rafah.

Blinken, who met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Friday during his tour of the Middle East, told reporters, "We share Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas... though, a major military ground operation in Rafah is not the way to do it."

"It risks killing more civilians, it risks wreaking greater havoc with the provision of humanitarian assistance, it risks further isolating Israel around the world and jeopardizing its long-term security and standing," Blinken added.

Also watch |Netanyahu tells Blinken Israel will 'do it alone' in Rafah push

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel would go it alone if Washington remained opposed to plans to push into Rafah against the territory's southern border fence.

"I also said that we have no way to defeat Hamas without going into Rafah and eliminating the rest of the battalions there. And I told him that I hope we will do it with the support of the US, but if we have to - we will do it alone," Netanyahu said in a video statement to reporters.

(With inputs from agencies)