Netanyahu: "Surrendering to Hamas' demands will not lead to the release of the abductees - but to another massacre"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said tonight (Sunday) that Israel is preparing to attack in Rafah.
In an interview with the American ABC network, Netanyahu said that "victory over Hamas is within reach".
According to him, the IDF is preparing to attack the remaining terrorist organization battalions in the southern city in the Gaza Strip, the "last bastion", as he defined it, but did not provide details or a timetable regarding the ground invasion of Rafah.
Netanyahu added that he instructed the army to prepare to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people from Rafah ahead of the ground invasion This, in the shadow of the threat from the US, which said it would not support the attack on the city, to which many residents of the Gaza Strip have fled to safety - if Israel does not take into account the potential impact on approximately 1.4 million people in this area.
NEW: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu tells @jonkarl that Israel is "working out a detailed plan" to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah before a planned ground invasion.
Interview airs SUNDAY on @ThisWeekABC.
https://t.co/4Uox8AuugK pic.twitter.com/akx1jXrY7W
— ABC News (@ABC) February 11, 2024
Palestinians leave Khan Yunis towards Rafah, last month/Reuters
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah, December/Reuters
"I agree with the Americans on this," Netanyahu said.
"We're going to do it while giving safe passage to the civilian population, so they can get out."
When asked where the Palestinians are supposed to go, Netanyahu said that Israel is working on a detailed plan on the matter.
"We are not arrogant about this," he said.
"This is part of our war effort, to remove civilians from danger. It is part of Hamas' effort to keep them in danger."
The Prime Minister rejected the calls of the UN and aid organizations not to enter Rafah, fearing the lack of a target for the evacuation of the civilians. "Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah are actually saying to lose the war, 'Leave Hamas there,'" he said.
"I agree with the Americans on this issue."
Netanyahu/official website, Mark Israel Salem
On Friday, the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement stating that "it is impossible to achieve the war goal of eliminating Hamas and leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah. On the other hand, it is clear that a massive operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of the civilian population from the combat zones. That is why the Prime Minister instructed the IDF and the security establishment to bring to the Cabinet A dual plan for both the evacuation of the population and the dismantling of the battalions."
An Israeli senior official later said that the background for publishing the announcement was the White House spokesman's statement the day before regarding such an operation. Yesterday, White House spokesman John Kirby said: "We have no indication that Israel is planning an operation in Rafah.
Such an operation when there are more than a million Palestinians in the area could be a disaster.
We will not support such a move if it is not carried out after careful planning."
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Gaza war
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Gaza Strip
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Benjamin Netanyahu