Israel's operation in Rafah doesn't cross US red lines - White House

The US does not believe Israel's actions in Rafah amount to a "major ground operation" that could cross a red line for President Joe Biden and trigger a possible change in US policy, the White House has said.

Spokesman John Kirby addressed reporters hours after Israeli forces reached the centre of the city in southern Gaza, and reportedly seized a strategically important hill. Mr Biden recently said he would limit weapons supplies to Israel if it entered Rafah's “population centres”, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are still believed to be sheltering.

Mr Kirby was also questioned about an Israeli strike and a resulting fire that killed at least 45 Palestinians on Sunday. Many of them were women, children, or elderly, who were sheltering at a camp for displaced people.

Israel has said the strike targeted and killed two senior Hamas officials, and that it believes the fire could have been caused by an explosion at a Hamas weapons store nearby. Speaking to reporters, Mr Kirby described images from the aftermath of the strike as "heartbreaking" and "horrific". “There should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict," he added.