Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the battle in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, “will decide many matters.” The Israeli Defense Minister stated that more forces had been sent to Rafah, while the US State Department considered that such an operation would be a mistake.
Netanyahu said – while attending a military air show near an area close to the Gaza Strip today – that “the battle in Rafah will decide many matters, not only the rest of their brigades, but also their tunnels for escape and other supplies.”
He claimed that “the end of these tunnels will advance us a great distance to defeat the enemy.”
Netanyahu and members of his government have been threatening for months to launch an attack on Rafah, considering it necessary to achieve the goal of “eliminating” the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), despite international warnings, including American warnings, of the consequences of this attack on the lives of civilians.
In its repeated statements regarding Rafah, the US State Department stated that “a major military operation in Rafah would be a mistake,” noting that it was concerned about “the complete cessation of travel and fuel movement to Gaza through the Rafah crossing.”
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is scheduled to discuss in Israel next Sunday the occupation army’s operation in Rafah.
The United States shows its opposition to a “broad” Israeli military operation in Rafah, under the pretext of protecting civilians there, but it continues to support Tel Aviv in its devastating war on the Gaza Strip, even though the largest percentage of casualties are civilians, including Rafah itself.
Early this month, the Israeli occupation forces took control of the Rafah crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip with Egypt.
Yesterday, Wednesday, Netanyahu claimed that there was no “humanitarian catastrophe in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip,” and that this would never happen.
Intensification of operations
In the same context, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced that additional forces “will enter Rafah,” pledging to “intensify” operations in the city.
Gallant, who previously described the Palestinians as human animals, pointed out that Hamas “is not an organization capable of reorganizing its ranks, it does not have reserve forces, it does not have a stock of supplies, and it has no ability to treat the terrorists we target,” stressing that the goal is To “wear out Hamas.”
Galant, who visited Rafah, confirmed, “Hundreds of targets were struck, and our forces are maneuvering in the area.”
