Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his latest televised speech on Wednesday ordered troops to “prepare to operate” in Rafah in southern Gaza and stated that a “total victory” by Israel over Hamas was just months away.
He said accepting the Palestinian militant group’s “bizarre demands” for a ceasefire would not lead to the return of hostages. “It will only invite another massacre,” he told journalists.
Rafah, situated along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, is the site of the Rafah Border Crossing, the sole crossing point between the enclave and Egypt. Israeli forces carried out airstrikes in Rafah on Wednesday, in their most recent military push.
The UN estimates that 1.9 million displaced Palestinians are trying to shelter from Israel’s assault and military operations in the city of Rafah. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics carried out a census in 2017 that amounted the city’s initial population count to 171,889 people.
Israel said it was examining Hamas’s response to a plan to halt nearly four months of fighting in Gaza, after key mediator Qatar said the Palestinian militants had given a “positive” reply to the proposed agreement.
Netanyahu’s comments appeared to dampen US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s hopes for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, even as he cautioned that more negotiations were needed.
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