US believes peace doesn't 'lie in smashing into' Rafah, while Netanyahu vows to 'finish the job' there

US national security advisor Jake Sullivan said that President Biden wouldn't support an Israeli military operation in Rafah that does not protect civilians.

Sullivan said the US believes the path to peace "does not lie in smashing into Rafah", and noted the White House has yet to see a credible plan for a military operation there.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would press forward with its military campaign into Rafah.

"We will finish the job in Rafah while enabling the civilian population to get out of harm's way," Netanyahu said in a video address to a conference of the pro-Israel Aipac organisation in Washington DC.