FLASH
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel is prepared to continue its fight against Hamas alone, marking a new high in strained relations between the two allies in the six-month conflict.
In a one-on-one meeting, Netanyahu said he told Blinken that he appreciated US support in its fight against Hamas and that Israel recognizes it must protect civilians.
However, he reiterated plans to push into Rafah, against the territory's southern border fence, where more than a million people have taken refuge in makeshift shelters.
"I also said that we have no way to defeat Hamas without going to Rafah and eliminating the rest of the battalions there. I told him that I hope to do it with the support of the US, but if we have to - we will do it alone," he said in a video statement to reporters.
Israel claims Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas militants and has a plan to evacuate civilians. But Washington says a ground attack would be a "mistake" and would cause too much harm to those displaced there.
Earlier US Vice President Kamala Harris said there is no safe exit for civilians from Rafah, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to send troops.
"There's nowhere for these people to go and be safe ," Harris told reporters as he left for a trip to Puerto Rico and Florida.
The appeal comes after the UN Security Council rejected a US-sponsored resolution calling for "the imperative of an immediate and lasting ceasefire" in Gaza.
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