Netanyahu Says Israel Will Push on With Rafah Offensive in Gaza Despite International Pressure

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will not give in to international pressure to stall an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah and will continue its bloody offensive against Hamas.

The US, Egypt, and Qatar have been attempting to mediate an agreement on a six-week ceasefire and the release of 40 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

Netanyahu Insists To Continue Rafah Offensive

BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 16: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured) speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on March 16, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. Netanyahu's one-day visit to Berlin is being accompanied by protests, including both by people angry over Israel’s policies towards Palestinians as well as those critical of possible new legislation in Israel supported by Netanyahu that would undermine the independence and the power of Israel's Supreme Court, effectively curtailing democracy in Israel.
(Photo : Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

At a military graduation ceremony in southern Israel, the prime minister said that there is growing international pressure and that they need to stand together against the attempts to stop the war. Netanyahu claimed that Israel's forces would fight Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold.

He added, "Whoever tells us not to act in Rafah is telling us to lose the war, and that will not happen."

The uncompromising statement was made just hours after it was reported that Hamas had withdrawn its delegation from indirect ceasefire negotiations in Cairo, indicating the chances of even a short pause to the war in Gaza before the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Hamas confirmed on Thursday that negotiations would resume next week.

A Hamas statement said that Hamas's delegation left Cairo this morning for consultation with the leadership of the movement, with negotiations and efforts to stop the aggression, return the displaced, and bring in relief aid to their people.

Early last week, there was hope that a ceasefire could be reached, and mediators and observers had set the informal deadline at the start of Ramadan on Sunday or Monday.

The holy month often brings unrest linked to access to sacred sites in Jerusalem. Instability has already spread throughout the region six months into the conflict.

On Thursday, Israeli artillery opened fire on targets in southern Lebanon following a barrage of rockets fired by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant Islamist organization.

According to Hamas, it will not release all of the remaining hostages unless Israel completely withdraws. In exchange for the hostages, a second demand is the release of several prisoners, including prominent militants serving life sentences.

Furthermore, Netanyahu has called Hamas's demands "delusional."

Growing Famine in Gaza

According to aid officials in Gaza, they believe that there are already "pockets of famine" in the region, where parents are sacrificing little food they have left for their children, and fuel for cooking is nearly impossible.

UN organizations claimed that Gaza needs more humanitarian aid after Palestinian authorities revealed that over 24,000 people had died in the region as a result of Israel's offensive.

In a joint statement, the World Food Programme, Unicef, and World Health Organization have called to open new entry routes into Gaza, allow more trucks daily, and permit humanitarian workers and others needing assistance to move around safely.

While the UN organizations did not directly blame Israel, they said that the ongoing fighting, the opening of a few border crossings from Israel, and the slow approval process for trucks and other supplies into Gaza were hindering the delivery of relief.