Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed on Tuesday his military’s intention to invade Gaza’s Rafah city and stated that the operations will take place regardless of any progress made in cease-fire negotiations with Hamas, according to The Times of Israel.
Netanyahu said, “The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its aims is not an option,” addressing the conservative Gvura and Tikva forums, which stand for the families of hostages taken in Gaza and killed soldiers, respectively.
“We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there — whether or not there is a deal — in order to achieve total victory,” Benjamin Netanyahu added.
According to a report from The Times of Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office stated that various groups have encouraged Netanyahu and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi to persist with the conflict and to stand firm against international pressures.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about a cease-fire plan that Israel had offered to Hamas on Monday, calling it “extraordinarily generous,” according to CNN.
“At this moment the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas,” he stated to President Borge Brende of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. “They (Hamas) have to decide and they have to decide quickly,” he said. “I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision.”
Similar thoughts were expressed by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who was also in Riyadh and expressed optimism that Israel and Hamas would embrace the idea.
“There is a proposal on the table, up to the two sides to consider and accept but certainly the objective is a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire and dealing with the humanitarian conditions,” Shoukry told a panel at the WEF in Riyadh on Monday, according to CNN.
He also stated that he is hopeful for “the proposal has been taken into account” and that “we are waiting to have a final decision.”
Israeli officials indicated that they were open to holding talks to bring about a peace that can last. Egypt proposed a one-year truce, subject to Israeli forces leaving Gaza and the release of captives and dead people, according to a person involved with the talks who was quoted by CNN. This suggestion exemplifies efforts made in the direction of a thorough settlement of the dispute.
According to Hamas, any accord must first result in a long-term ceasefire and an Israeli pullout. On the other hand, Israel has reaffirmed that it will keep up its operations in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. However, in a crucial move toward furthering negotiations, Israel has recently given in to Hamas’s demand for unlimited Palestinian transit to northern Gaza.
However, the prospect of an Israeli military assault in Rafah remains, and Israeli officials have presented the current negotiations as the final chance to avert such a move. Notably, the US and other Israeli partners have issued a warning against conducting a significant military action in Rafah without providing sufficient protection for civilians.
During his visit to Riyadh, Blinken restated this position and emphasized that the US is unwilling to back such an offensive in the lack of a clear strategy to protect civilians: “We have not yet seen a plan that civilians can be effectively protected.”
John Kirby, the communications adviser for the White House National Security Council, echoed these views and disclosed Israel’s guarantee that no invasion of Rafah would take place until the issues brought up by the Biden administration were resolved.
“I think we have to have a better understanding from the Israelis about what they want to do as a matter of fact, we’ve had several staff talks with them, we intend to do that more,” he said on ABC. “They’ve assured us that they won’t go into Rafah until we’ve had a chance to really share our perspectives and our concerns with them.”
US President Joe Biden underlined his opposition to a possible Israeli invasion of Rafah and emphasized the need for enhanced humanitarian assistance in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as stated in a White House statement. The number of people killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza is still rising in spite of these diplomatic efforts, which emphasizes how urgent a ceasefire agreement is.
Infants and toddlers among the dead show how the fighting has a terrible effect on defenseless citizens, CNN reported.
