NNA - After Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled an Israeli delegation's trip to the US to discuss Washington's concerns, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed US opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah during talks with the Israeli occupation's security minister Yoav Gallant earlier on Monday.

In his meeting with Gallant, in Washington, Blinken reiterated US "opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah," according to the US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Miller expressed that such a move "would further jeopardize the welfare of the more than 1.4 million Palestinian civilians sheltering there," adding that Blinken "underscored that alternatives exist to a major ground invasion that would both better ensure Israel's security and protect Palestinian civilians."

The spokesperson also said that the two officials additionally "discussed the need to immediately surge and sustain additional humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza."--agencies 

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