Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched sharp criticism at President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken over their objections to Israel’s exceptionally successful military operations in Rafah and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, Netanyahu defended Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Rafah. “We will do what we have to do to protect our country. That means we will defeat Hamas, including in Rafah. We have no choice.” His comments followed a revelation during a secret meeting with Israel’s parliamentary committee, where Netanyahu disclosed that Biden had warned him against the assault, telling him, “You will be left alone.” In response, Netanyahu reportedly shot back, “We will do it alone.”

Netanyahu also highlighted that Secretary Blinken had echoed Biden’s concerns, saying, “You will not have weapons,” as a means of discouraging the Rafah offensive. Netanyahu’s retort was resolute: “We will fight with our hands and nails.”

The Israeli leader further criticized U.S. officials for overestimating civilian casualties in Rafah. Biden and Blinken had previously expressed concerns about the high death toll, predicting tens of thousands of civilian fatalities. However, Netanyahu dismissed these warnings, asserting that only a “tragic” number of civilians had been killed.

In a joint address to U.S. lawmakers in July, Netanyahu defended the operation, noting that the combatant-to-civilian casualty ratio was the “lowest” in Rafah. “I asked the commander there, ‘How many civilians were killed?’ He said, ‘Practically none. With the exception of a single incident, where shrapnel from a bomb hit a Hamas weapons depot and unintentionally killed two dozen people, the answer is practically none.’”

Despite these claims, Biden publicly announced on May 8 that his administration would withhold critical weapons, including 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs, from Israel if the Rafah offensive continued. “If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with that problem,” Biden stated in an interview with CNN.

This tension between Israel and the U.S. underscores the complex diplomatic dynamics surrounding the Rafah offensive, as Netanyahu insists on Israel’s right to self-defense while navigating mounting international pressure over civilian casualties and humanitarian aid.