The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said this Tuesday (04/30/2024) that the Israeli Army will enter Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, to eliminate the four Hamas battalions that he says remain in that area “with or without a truce agreement. “The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its objectives is out of the question,” a statement from his office quoted him as saying.
“We will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there, with or without an agreement,” Netanyahu added during a meeting with relatives of kidnapped people and victims of the October 7 attack. His words come when Hamas is studying the latest truce proposal from the mediators in Cairo, which contemplates a 40-day ceasefire and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages in Gaza, according to Israeli media.
Over the weekend, Israeli Finance Minister, also in charge of the Defense Portfolio, Bezalel Smotrich, threatened to break up the government coalition if Netanyahu finally gave up on delivering what they hope will be the final blow to Hamas in Rafah. , considered its last bastion. “If he decides to wave a white flag and cancel the order to occupy Rafah immediately in order to complete the mission of destroying Hamas… the government led by you will have no right to exist,” he said in a video message on Sunday.
War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz then responded to Smotrich. “Entering Rafah is important in the long fight against Hamas. The return of our kidnapped people, abandoned by the government on 7/10, is urgent and of much greater importance,” he added.
lgc (efe, ap, rtr)
