Rep. Sara Jacobs said Tuesday she opposes a potential Israeli ground invasion of Rafa, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip.
Jacobs, who represents central San Diego and is the youngest Jewish member of Congress, called for the Israeli government to pull back from the operation because it could cause “even more civilian casualties” and significantly harm Israel’s reputation before the world
“A ground invasion of Rafah would be catastrophic,” she said. “After the Netanyahu government’s months-long military campaign, Rafah is the only place for 1.5 million displaced Palestinians to take refuge — and conditions are already dire, with refugees packing the streets and severe shortages of food, water, and medicine.”
She said months of bombing have failed to eliminate Hamas, so the United States and Israel must seek a diplomatic solution that includes “release of all the hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and a two-state solution.”
Reuters reported Monday that Israel expects to continue full-scale military operations in Gaza for another six to eight weeks as it prepares to mount a ground invasion of Rafah.
“Rafah is the last bastion of Hamas control and there remain battalions in Rafah which Israel must dismantle to achieve its goals in this war,” said Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official quoted by Reuters.
