White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby commented on the fire in the Rafah tent camp for displaced people, which resulted in civilian casualties, and the IDF's advance towards the city center, a stronghold of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
"Based on what we see, this is not a large-scale operation that would cross the red lines we have established," Kirby stated. President Joe Biden had previously mentioned that the US would limit arms supplies to Israel in the event of a large-scale operation in Rafah.
Kirby also described the deaths of camp residents as horrifying and heartbreaking. "The conflict should not result in the deaths of innocent people," he said.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the Israeli strike on the camp resulted in 45 deaths and over 200 injuries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a tragic mistake, and the IDF reported that the detonation of Hamas munitions caused the explosion.
