Israel to continue offensive on Rafah, ensuring evacuation of civilians - Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday rejected calls from world leaders to abandon the ground operation in Rafah and said that otherwise it would mean a loss in the war against Hamas. This was reported by The Times of Israel , according to UNN.

Those who want to prevent us from acting in Rafah are essentially saying to us: "Lose the war". I will not allow this to happen. We will not give in to any pressure.

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Netanyahu told reporters about Israel's plans to resolve the issue with Hamas during an evening press conference in Jerusalem the day before.

According to the Israeli media, Rafah, which is located on the border of Gaza and Egypt, is currently the last Hamas stronghold in the enclave. At the same time, it is the place where more than a million displaced Palestinians have fled to hide from fighting elsewhere.

The United States and several of Israel's Western allies have warned Jerusalem that an offensive on Rafah in the current circumstances would be disastrous. Israel, which has said it will develop a plan to evacuate civilians before it goes in, believes it will not be able to effectively contain Hamas without capturing Rafah, which is on Gaza's border with Egypt. It is believed that at least some of the 134 hostages taken in Gaza are now in the city. Hamas leadership is also believed to be hiding there.

During the press conference, Netanyahu also said that he had warned US President Joe Biden that Israel would fight until "complete victory - and yes, that includes actions in Rafah." But the IDF operation in Gaza's southernmost city, he emphasized, will "obviously" take place only after civilians there have the opportunity to "evacuate to safe areas.

In response to a question from The Times of Israel about whether there were plans to enter Gaza's southernmost city earlier, at the start of the ground offensive, and if so, why the move was not made then, Netanyahu expanded on the government's efforts to cope with the refugees in Rafah.

I will not go into the details of our plans, but there is a lot of space north of Rafah to evacuate civilians who are taking refuge there. The evacuation area will be... 

He added that the evacuation will be carried out in an orderly manner, and the relevant instructions have already been passed on to the IDF.

Netanyahu also said that Israel, at Biden's request, had sent a delegation to Cairo earlier in the week, but "there was no change in Hamas' position," so "there was no point [in going back] until we see changes," the Israeli politician said.

The prime minister also took a combative stance against international calls for progress on a Palestinian state. Netanyahu said that Israel "will not capitulate to international dictates" on a future agreement with the Palestinians.

The agreement will be reached only in direct negotiations between the two parties, without preconditions. 

The Prime Minister emphasized that he would continue to strongly oppose the unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Netanyahu said that after the October 7 killings, "there will be no greater reward for terror" than granting the Palestinians a state, and that such a move would "prevent any future peace agreement.

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Last week, The Washington Post reported that the United States and several Arab partners are preparing a detailed plan for a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, which should include a "firm timetable" for the creation of a Palestinian state.

Members of Netanyahu's party and ministers on the right flank of his coalition publicly criticized the report, and one Likud minister called on Israel to threaten to cancel the Oslo Accords, which actually created the Palestinian Authority.

Israelis claim that the October 7 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed by the Hamas terrorist group and another 253 kidnapped and taken hostage, has dispelled the security concerns of Palestinian statehood for many Israelis.

Netanyahu also added that the Defense Ministry will soon issue a clear statement on the security situation in the Gaza border communities affected by the October 7 attack and whether they can safely return to their homes.

There is never a situation where there is no danger. But the danger of a ground invasion like the one that happened on October 7 is unrealistic, you know that. Hamas is deep in tunnels. Someone can always get through the fence. But such a massive military invasion by terrorists is not considered. And we will not allow it to happen again. 

As for mortar, rocket and missile fire, "it's always possible," he acknowledged, adding that Israel has destroyed "a large portion" of Hamas' capacity in this regard.

"I'm not saying that such a fire is impossible," he said, but he expects any such incidents to be minimal.