Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will carry out an invasion of the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, regardless of whether a hostage exchange agreement is reached with Hamas.
Prime Minister Netanyahu made the remarks Sunday morning during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” with host Margaret Brennan. He said Israel was still conducting hostage negotiations, but added that the Jewish state was committed to eradicating Hamas with as little harm to civilians as possible.
Regarding Operation Rafah, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “If there is an agreement, there will be some delay, but it will definitely happen.If there is no agreement, we will carry it out anyway.”
He further said that any Israeli operation in Rafah would show that Israel is only “weeks” away from total victory in the war against Hamas.
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The new timing is a sharp departure from statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials in recent weeks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously predicted the war would last “several more months.”
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The United States insists that Israel implement a plan to protect civilians in the event of an invasion of Rafah. Brennan said Netanyahu told him he was “meeting with the General Staff to discuss a ‘dual plan’: how to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah and how to encircle a Hamas battalion in Rafah.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will carry out the invasion of Rafah regardless of whether a hostage exchange agreement is reached with Hamas. (GPO/Reuters)
The Israeli government also announced a post-war plan for Gaza on Friday, but the deal was quickly rejected by the Palestinian Authority.
Under the plan, Israel would seek unrestricted control over security and civil affairs in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu’s government has flatly rejected calls for a two-state solution, which President Biden’s administration continues to promote.
Netanyahu’s government has flatly rejected calls for a two-state solution, which President Biden’s administration continues to support. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
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Israel’s parliament last week backed Netanyahu’s rejection of “unilateral” recognition of a Palestinian state.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
