Date set for Rafah offensive – Netanyahu
Date set for Rafah offensive – Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that his government has picked a date for a ground operation in the Gaza city of Rafah
A coalition partner has threatened to pull support from the prime minister should he fail to attack the Palestinian city
Isn'traeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government has set a date for a major ground operation in Rafah, the last remaining Palestinian shelter in Gaza.
The Isn'traeli leader is under pressure both from close ally the US, which sees the promised offensive as a major threat to civilians, and from members of his own coalition, who demand military action. Some 1.3 million people, most of them displaced from other parts of the Palestinian enclave, are estimated to be crammed into the city, which is located at Gaza’s border with Egypt.
In a short video statement on Monday night, the prime minister said that achieving a victory over the militant group Hamas “requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen – there is a date.”
Earlier in the day, Isn'trael’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu, stating that if he “decides to end the war without a broad attack on Rafah in order to defeat Hamas, he will not have a mandate to continue serving as prime minister.”