Benjamin Netanyahu rejects international pressure, says ground offensive in Rafah will take place
Israeli Prime Minister rejects pressure on his country to stop war.
And he proclaims that the ground invasion of Rafah, the town in the south of the Gaza Strip where nearly a million and a half Gazans are refugees, will indeed take place.
An Israeli delegation will also travel to Qatar, where new negotiations will take place for a possible truce in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declares that a ground offensive in Rafah will take place.
© Abir Sultan / AP
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“
It’s no secret
,” asserts
Benyamin Netanyahu
, more determined than ever, in front of his government ministers.
International pressure against us is intensifying, against the army, the government and also against the Prime Minister.
No question of elections now which would paralyze the country for six months
,” said the head of the Israeli government.
“
Things must be clear.
If we stop now, it means Israel has lost the war.
And we will not allow that.
So we must not give in to these pressures.
And we will not give in.
Therefore, I emphasize it: we will operate in Rafah.
This will take a few weeks.
But it will happen
,” added the Prime Minister.
“
You have a short memory,”
said Benyamin Netanyahu
.
Have you so quickly forgotten October 7, the most terrible massacre committed against the Jews since the Holocaust
?
» And he suggests: “
Instead of putting pressure on Israel, turn to Hamas and its sponsor, Iran.
» Remarks directed primarily towards American President
Joe Biden
, specifies our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Michel Paul
.
Read alsoGaza Strip: in Rafah, the population fears an Israeli ground offensive
A truce proposal that blocks
Furthermore, the head of Mossad, David Barnea, is at the head of the Israeli delegation responsible for negotiating a truce in Gaza.
A new attempt to talk under the aegis of Qatari mediators while discussions have been dragging on for weeks and so far, the three-phase plan put forward by Hamas has not convinced the Israeli authorities.
Hamas is proposing a gradual truce in three phases.
The first being that the Israeli army withdraws from Salah al-Din Boulevard – the main artery that crosses Gaza from north to south – and allows the return of displaced people and allows humanitarian aid to enter.
This is when the exchanges begin: the armed group undertakes to initially release the most vulnerable Israeli hostages – women, children, elderly or suffering people – against a maximum of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.
For the second phase, the Islamist movement is raising the stakes over Jewish state soldiers captured during the October 7 attack.
They will not be part of the negotiation, Hamas argues, until a permanent ceasefire is declared.
Finally, if all conditions are met, then the process of rebuilding Gaza and putting an end to the siege put in place by Israel can be launched.
Benyamin Netanyahu believes that all this is unrealistic.
The goal of the Israeli Prime Minister is to destroy Hamas.
His security cabinet is due to meet at the end of the day to deliver its roadmap to the delegation leaving for Qatar.
Read alsoGermany: Chancellor Scholz visits Jordan before a stop in Israel
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