Biden's Plan and Involvement of U.S. in Nuseirat Massacre: Uncovering the Story

After the Israeli Occupation forces recovered four of its prisoners from the Gaza Strip, multiple sources reported Washington's involvement in the operation. The incident resulted in the deaths of nearly 300 people and left over 400 others wounded in the Nuseirat camp, an area already burdened with displaced Gazans.

On June 8, 2024, the Israeli Occupation announced the recovery of four of its prisoners, with the support of American intelligence and a hostage rescue team.

Analysts posed questions: Why did Washington now decide to give this gift to “Israel” and its extremist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? Is the timing related to U.S. President Joe Biden's attempts to pressure Netanyahu — using both carrot and stick — to accept a prisoner exchange deal?

Netanyahu stubbornly refuses to halt the aggression that has continued since October 7, 2023, leaving 124 Israelis as prisoners in Gaza, amid international demands for a prisoner exchange deal and the start of a permanent ceasefire.

American Role

Since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, it has been proven that “Israel” cannot protect its people, nor recover its prisoners alone, and its army can do nothing unless America fights alongside it shoulder to shoulder, supplying its weapons as a mother feeds her child pieces of bread, according to analysts.

Immediately after the announcement of the release of the Israeli prisoners, non-military detainees held by the resistance, Israeli journalist Barak Ravid revealed Washington's role in the operation on Axios.

He quoted an American official saying that U.S. special forces participated in the liberation of the four Israeli detainees through what is called the U.S. Hostage Cell in “Israel.”

The New York Times confirmed on June 8, 2024, that the U.S. provided intelligence about the captives before the rescue operation, according to informed American and Israeli officials.

An American official told the newspaper that a team of U.S. hostage recovery officials stationed in “Israel” assisted the Israeli army in rescuing the four captives by providing intelligence and other logistical support.

He confirmed that intelligence collection and analysis teams from the U.S. and Britain have been present in “Israel” throughout the war to help Israeli intelligence gather and analyze information related to the captives.

A senior official in the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) confirmed to The New York Times that commandos on the ground are helping in efforts to identify hostages, including Americans.

The officials clarified that Tel Aviv has its own intelligence, but the U.S. and Britain provided additional data from air and cyberspace that “Israel” could not collect on its own.

The Pentagon and the CIA provided information gathered from drone flights over Gaza, intercepted communications, and other sources about the potential location of the hostages, according to American newspapers.

The Washington Post also confirmed on June 8, 2024, citing officials, that U.S. intelligence helped in rescuing the Israelis, pointing to the role of a team of American staff stationed at the U.S. embassy in Occupied Jerusalem.

This cell consists of special operations and intelligence personnel working at the embassy in “Israel,” and they have been there since the start of the war, according to the Washington Post.

This cell relies on analyzing and gathering information through American drones flying over Gaza, intercepted communications, and other sources.

In response to a question about this news, Israeli military spokesperson Peter Lerner told CNN on June 8 that “Israel” and the United States have a close and intimate intelligence working relationship, but he declined to elaborate.

Biden’s Plan

After the start of the aggression on Gaza, the Pentagon acknowledged the presence of a "small number" of American military personnel at the embassy in Occupied Jerusalem to assist the Israeli government through planning and intelligence support, according to the Washington Post.

It said that American intelligence analysts are also helping Israeli officials in some of their efforts to map out the extensive network of tunnels built by Hamas under Gaza, contributing robust analytical techniques that integrate pieces of information.

An American official told CNN on June 8, 2024, that U.S. special forces had been deployed in Tel Aviv and near Gaza to help “Israel” track its detained captives.

At the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, the Joe Biden administration refrained from sending U.S. special forces to rescue the captives, including Israeli Americans, due to the complexity of the situation on the ground.

However, Politico reported on October 12, 2023, that a senior White House official said that the decision could be reconsidered, which later happened, as revealed by the operation to free four of the Israeli captives.

The Joe Biden administration ruled out sending military personnel, including special forces, to Gaza as part of an attempt to free American captives there, initially providing only intelligence support, followed by the deployment of forces under the pretext of protecting Gaza's floating dock.

Politico confirmed at the time that a team of American military specialists arrived in the region and is consulting with their Israeli counterparts on possible action plans.

Among other elements, U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command offered to provide planning for hostage rescue and intelligence support to the Israelis.

In remarks at a roundtable of Jewish community leaders at the White House a week after Operation al-Aqsa Flood, Joe Biden pledged to provide the necessary support to “Israel” to rescue the captives.

“Folks, there’s a lot we're doing, a lot we’re doing,” he told them.

"I have not given up hope of bringing these folks home," he continued. "But the idea that I'm going to stand here before you and tell you what I'm doing is bizarre. So, I hope you understand how bizarre I think it would be to try to answer that question."

“We're working on every aspect of the hostage crisis in Israel, including deploying experts to advise and assist with recovery efforts.”

"Now, the press is going to shout at me: 'What are you doing to bring these folks home?' If I told you, I wouldn't be able to get them home."

It is worth mentioning that the American floating pier in Gaza was used for evacuating the captives, according to American and Israeli newspapers.

American officials tried to downplay the matter, claiming that the helicopter carrying the captives landed south of the pier on the shore.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) denied using the "humanitarian" pier facility, including its equipment and personnel, for the rescue operation.

It claimed that the temporary dock on the Gaza coast was established for a single specific purpose: to assist in transporting much-needed additional life-saving aid to the Gaza Strip.

According to Palestinian eyewitnesses, the Israeli force that participated in rescuing the four captives infiltrated the Nuseirat camp using a truck typically used for transporting humanitarian aid that came from the American pier.

This was confirmed by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on June 9, 2024, and other media outlets, which also confirmed that the force used a closed transport truck and a civilian vehicle in the infiltration operation into the Nuseirat camp, both of which came from the American pier.

‘Climbing Down the Tree’

Analysts speculate that this military and intelligence intervention aimed to offer a prize to Netanyahu to persuade him to accept the American deal previously proposed by Joe Biden for the return of the remaining captives and “climb down the tree.”

President Joe Biden hinted at this after his meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron on June 8, 2024, when he said that we will not stop working until all hostages return home and a ceasefire is achieved.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also praised the operation but stated that the proposed ceasefire being negotiated between representatives of Hamas, “Israel,” Egypt, Qatar, and the United States would be the way to bring the remaining hostages back to “Israel.”

"The hostage release and ceasefire deal that is now on the table would secure the release of all the remaining hostages together with security assurances for Israel and relief for the innocent civilians in Gaza,” Sullivan clearly said.

Analysts believe the Nuseirat operation will have two effects on the battle: first, it will eliminate any other opportunities to free live captives due to the significant change in their security conditions, the increased alertness and vigilance of the Shadow Units, and the strict and decisive handling of any suspicious movements.

Second, it will exacerbate the polarization within the Israeli war council between Netanyahu's hardline stance on the deal, his exploitation of the event to prolong the aggression, and the insistence of the captives' families and other officials on the necessity of completing the exchange.

Joe Biden's gift to Netanyahu was hinted at by the New York Times on June 8, 2024, affirming that the intelligence support for “Israel” is largely because U.S. officials believe the best way to persuade “Israel” to end the war is to help it recover some of its hostages and arrest or kill senior Hamas leaders.

Two days before the operation, Politico reported on June 6, 2024, that Joe Biden's administration continues to pressure Netanyahu from all sides to end the war in Gaza quickly.

It added that the U.S. president is taking a more assertive stance, pushing for an end to the conflict with speeches and behind-the-scenes efforts, increasing pressure from regional powers, the United Nations, relief organizations, Israeli citizens, and both allies and political opponents of Netanyahu.

On May 31, 2024, Joe Biden announced an Israeli proposal of three phases to end the aggression, urging all parties not to miss the opportunity to reach a deal that would end the conflict that has lasted for more than eight months.

Political analyst Ahmed Ramadan believes the Nuseirat operation might be a gift to Netanyahu to climb down the tree.

He confirmed on X that the Nuseirat massacre was a brutal operation presented as an achievement, so Netanyahu could finally come down the tree and agree to the exchange deal, after being given a failure disguised as a false victory.

He explained that the forces supporting “Israel” in its operation, including special forces and intelligence from three countries, along with tanks, aircraft, and spy satellites, justify this by arguing that Netanyahu needs something resembling an achievement.

This would allow him to justify agreeing to a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, as appearing defeated would only increase his obstinacy and refusal.