Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this Sunday (06/23/2024) that the most intense phase of fighting against Hamas in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, was approaching an end, but the war was not It will end until the Islamist group no longer controls the Palestinian enclave. The statements were made in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14, the first since the beginning of the conflict with Hamas.
“This does not mean that the war is going to end, but rather that the war in its most intense phase is close to ending in Rafah,” he specified. According to the premier, once the broader deployment of forces ends, Israel will be able to divert those units to the northern border, where fighting against the Lebanese group Hezbollah has escalated.
“After the end of the most intense phase, we will have the possibility to move part of the forces to the north. And that is what we will do. First of all for defensive purposes, but also to bring our residents (evacuees) home,” Netanyahu added. . “If possible we will do this diplomatically. If not, we will do it another way. But we will bring (residents) home,” he added.
civil administration
Many Israeli cities near the border with Lebanon have been evacuated in recent months, due to constant exchanges of fire between the Israel Defense Forces and militants from the Lebanese group Hezbollah. This has meant that tens of thousands of Israelis have had to flee their homes.
Despite the possible end of the most intense fighting, Netanyahu clarified that Israeli forces will continue operating in Gaza. “I am not willing to end the war and leave Hamas as it is,” he said. Netanyahu did say he was open to a “partial” agreement that would allow the release of the hostages, and also reiterated his opposition to the Palestinian National Authority, based in the West Bank, running Gaza instead of Hamas.
“We want to create a civil administration, if possible with Palestinians from the area, and perhaps with external support from countries in the region, to handle humanitarian aid and then civil affairs in the Strip,” Netanyahu said. “In the end, two things must happen: continued demilitarization and the establishment of a civilian administration.”
DZC (Reuters, AFP)
