Gaza: Netanyahu determined to enter Rafah, hope of a truce seems to be fading
Netanyahu remains firm. The Israeli Prime Minister said on February 17 that he was determined to carry out a ground offensive in Rafah where 1.4 million people are crowded, after the Qatari mediator recognized that negotiations on a truce between Israel and Hamas were not successful. were “
not very promising
”.
Palestinians walk at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, February 12, 2024. © Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Reuters
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Benyamin Netanyahu does not intend to give up the offensive on Rafah. “
Anyone who wants to stop us from carrying out an operation in Rafah is effectively telling us to lose the war. I'm not going to give in to this
", declared the Israeli Prime Minister during a press conference in Tel Aviv. A sign of his determination, he considered that military pressure must continue even in the event of an agreement with the Islamist group, reports our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Michel Paul
.
“
Even if we reach an agreement on the hostages, we will enter Rafah
,” assured Benyamin Netanyahu. A settlement of the conflict can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties, he further explained. “
We will not give in to any pressure. Under my leadership, Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state
.”
Israel will continue fighting until complete victory. And yes, this also includes an operation in Rafah. Of course after allowing civilians in the combat zone to evacuate to safer areas. Those who want to prevent us from acting in Rafah are, in a way, telling us: Lose the war. I will not allow it.
00:45
Benyamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
Michael Paul
However, negotiations involving Egyptian, American and Qatari mediators to obtain a truce between Hamas and Israel, including an exchange between Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, have taken place in recent weeks. These have “not
been very promising in recent days
,” admitted Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane al-Thani at the Security Conference in Munich. But “
we will do our best to get closer
» of an agreement, adding that a cessation of fighting meant Israel accepts a two-state solution.
The
dilemma
» of the ceasefire
For the head of American diplomacy, whose country is working, with Qatar and Egypt, to try to obtain a ceasefire on the ground, a window of opportunity nevertheless exists, explains our correspondent in Berlin,
Pascal Thibaut
. Antony Blinken stressed in Munich that “
virtually all Arab countries
” ultimately wish to normalize their relations with Israel, an “
extraordinary opportunity in the Middle East
”.
Hamas, for its part, threatened to leave the talks if "
(humanitarian) aid was not delivered to the north of Gaza
", threatened with famine, indicated a "
leader
» Anonymous from the movement cited in a press release. As for the leader of Hamas, Ismaïl Haniyeh, he repeated that his movement demanded in particular a cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, as part of the negotiations.
Read alsoGaza: in Rafah, these Palestinians trying to return to their homes elsewhere in the enclave
Conditions rejected several times by Israel, whose major offensive in Gaza has razed entire neighborhoods, displaced 1.7 million people and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, according to the UN. According to Israel, 130 hostages are still held in Gaza, 30 of whom are believed to have died, out of around 250 people kidnapped during the October 7 attack launched by Hamas. A week-long truce in November allowed the release of 105 hostages and 240 Palestinians held by Israel. “
A dilemma we faced (...) is that obtaining a ceasefire (was) conditional on an agreement on the hostages
,” explained the Qatari Prime Minister. “
It shouldn’t be conditioned.
»
Risk of famine in Rafah
As more aid arrived in Rafah on Saturday, the UN warned that residents of the Palestinian territory risked starvation. “
We are not going to die from the bombs, but from hunger
“, said Mohammed Nassar, 50, from Jabaliya, in northern Gaza.
In Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis demonstrated against the Netanyahu government and called on it to reach an agreement to release the hostages. Abroad, demonstrations of solidarity with the Palestinians took place in several cities, in Rome, London, Stockholm and Istanbul.
Also read: Is Egypt preparing to welcome refugees from Gaza in the event of an offensive against Rafah?
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