Israel Defense Forces will roll into the refugee-dense southern Gazan city of Rafah regardless of a cease-fire agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday.
Recent advancements in truce talks with Hamas fueled uncertainty over whether Israel would conduct military operations in Rafah as Netanyahu previously pledged — but the prime minister made clear nothing is changing on that front.
“The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question,” Netanyahu declared in a statement Tuesday.
“We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there — with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory.”
Rafah, fixated near the border of Egypt, is where thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from the intense fighting that’s mostly taken place in the northern regions of the Gazan Strip.
At the moment, it is estimated to be home to 1.5 million Palestinians, according to the Associated Press. Netanyahu contends that it is one of the last remaining strongholds of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Since the dawn of Israel’s military reaction to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis, Netanyahu had declared his intent to wipe out Hamas’ military capabilities in Gaza.
There are still several Hamas leaders at large, such as Yahya Sinwar.
Given the dense population of Palestinian refugees holed up in Rafah, the prospect of a military operation there has drawn international unease.
President Biden has repeatedly chafed with Netanyahu about a Rafah incursion and urged him against doing so without a sufficient plan in place for civilians.
On Sunday, during Biden and Netanyahu’s call, the pair “discussed Rafah and the President reiterated his clear position,” according to a readout from the White House.
Netanyahu’s remarks about Rafah came ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned arrival in Israel amid negotiations with Hamas.
Negotiations have been conducted with Egyptian mediators and during those talks, Israelis indicated an openness to talks about a path forward to end the war, Axios reported.
Without divulging many specifics, Blinken publicly hailed the agreement as “extraordinarily generous” on the part of the Israelis and urged Hamas to take it.
“No more delays. No more excuses. The time to act is now,” Blinken said ahead of his arrival in Israel, per the AP. “We want to see in the coming days this agreement coming together.”
The latest iteration being floated would entail around 33 hostages being released in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, CNN reported.
Prior attempts at a breakthrough had fallen apart and there have been elevated concerns that a large percentage of the over 100 hostages are dead.
Back in November, during the last deal, 100 hostages were released in exchange for a four-day ceasefire. However, attempts to continue making progress quickly collapsed.
Netanyahu is facing pressure from all sides. Washington is deeply skeptical of an attack on Rafah, his right flank wants an invasion of Rafah, and he is facing thousands of domestic protesters who want the hostages freed.
