Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah with or without ceasefire deal
The Israeli prime minister has said Israel will invade the southern district of Rafah even if it reaches a ceasefire and captive release agreement with Hamas.
“The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its objectives is out of the question,” Benjamin Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office. “We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there – with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory.”
The prime minister has for months pledged to go ahead with an invasion of Rafah, despite public pushback from Israel’s main ally the US.
The UN and humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that an assault of Rafah, where more than one million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, would be catastrophic.
Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith is in occupied East Jerusalem and Hani Mahmoud is in Rafah for the latest.
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