US to offer ‘Israel’ intelligence on Hamas if Rafah invasion halted

The Biden administration has reportedly offered to give “Israel” “sensitive intelligence” on the whereabouts of senior Hamas leaders if it agrees to hold off on a long-delayed major military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.

In an attempt to bribe the Israeli occupation, the Biden administration has reportedly offered to provide “Israel” with “sensitive intelligence” on the whereabouts of senior Hamas leaders, only if it holds off the invasion, which holds more than 1 million Palestinians sheltering there amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. 

Four unnamed sources were quoted by The Washington Post as saying that the United States “is offering Israel valuable assistance if it holds back, including sensitive intelligence to help the Israeli military pinpoint the location of Hamas leaders and find the group’s hidden tunnels.” 

US concerns with Rafah invasion 

According to the report, the administration has allegedly proposed “aiding in the establishment of large tent encampments for Palestinians” displaced from Rafah, as well as allegedly “assisting in the construction of infrastructure to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid”.

A senior administration official familiar with the discussions, also unnamed, was quoted as saying that “Israel” had provided assurances that Israeli occupation forces would not enter Rafah before “evacuating about 800,000 of an estimated 1 million Palestinians sheltering there.”

The White House on Thursday communicated “concerns” to the Israeli occupation regarding the use of heavy bombs in Rafah, adding that Washington could help “Israel” target Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar.

On another note, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said today the US fears that a significant military action in Rafah will make “Israel” less strong in negotiations with Hamas.

“We could also, in fact, help them target the leaders, including [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar, which we are, frankly, doing with the Israelis on an ongoing basis,” he said.

Given that US officials have provided “Israel” with intelligence on Hamas, the Washington Post report came after two officials familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Friday that Sinwar is not hiding in Rafah, citing recent intelligence assessments that placed the Hamas leader in underground tunnels in the Khan Younis area. However, Israeli plans to invade the populated area proceed. 

Israeli ongoing Rafah invasion threat

For months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to invade Rafah, under the pretext of “defeating Hamas,” the same argument used while committing the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. 

That said, Israeli Reserve General Gadi Shamni, former head of the Gaza Division, said on Saturday that the Israeli invasion of Rafah has a political goal and that is to prevent the fall of Netanyahu’s government, as reported by Israeli media. 

Speaking with Israeli i24 News as he took part in an event in occupied Bir al-Sabe, Shamni said that threats from Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are the only reason behind a Rafah invasion as they have threatened to overthrow the Israeli government if this invasion is not completed. 

He stressed that sending Israeli occupation forces into a battle for the sake of achieving political goals is considered as crossing red lines emphasizing that there is no logic behind developments in Rafah. 

The Israeli war cabinet approved on May 10 an expansion of the Israeli Occupation Forces’ area of invasion in the southern Gaza city.

This decision occurred despite US President Joe Biden’s recent statement warning that if “Israel” were to invade Rafah, where over a million displaced Palestinians seek refuge, the US would cease supplying artillery shells, bombs for fighter jets, and other offensive weapons.