Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will launch an offensive on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah with or without a hostage deal with Hamas, he told a meeting Tuesday.
"We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there – with or without a deal," he told relatives of Israeli hostages and fallen soldiers, according to his office.
Netanyahu is determined to launch an offensive in Rafah to eliminate the alleged last Hamas stronghold, despite warning from allies over the safety of a million displaced Palestinians seeking refuge there.
"The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there – with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory," Netanyahu said.
His comments come as indirect negotiations are held in Cairo over a new cease-fire agreement and the release of further hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners.
There were initial hopes that Israel would refrain from the planned Rafah operation if a deal can be made.
People in Rafah are terrified and expect to be evacuated at any moment ahead of a planned incursion, according to a non-governmental organization active in the area.
"Our colleagues are telling us there is extraordinarily deep anxiety," said Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Israeli media Tuesday quoted the Israeli military to report the army is prepared to invade Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in a matter of 72 hours if no deal on a cease-fire is reached in Cairo.
Egypt is hosting extensive negotiations with delegations from Israel and Hamas aimed at reaching a cease-fire in Gaza.
The Israeli Ynet news website reported that the Israeli army's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi approved the final plans for a military offensive in Rafah along with a plan for moving civilians toward areas in the central Gaza Strip.
The news website cited an unnamed source that said the Israeli army's tanks and troops are lined up near the Gaza border, and ready for the green light to start the offensive.
It added that the next 48 to 72 hours are critical in terms of reaching a deal with the Hamas group or initiating the attack on Rafah.
On Monday, Israeli media said an Israeli delegation is scheduled to travel to Egypt to meet with Egyptian security officials on efforts for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Egypt also confirmed Monday that there is a new proposal for a truce in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
"There is a proposal on the table to reach a truce in Gaza,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said during a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia.
Rafah is the last remaining area in the enclave where Israel has not yet formally announced the entry of its troops to continue the onslaught against Palestinians.
Hamas is estimated to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages, while Tel Aviv is holding over 9,100 Palestinians in its jails.
The Palestinian group demands an end to Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory for any hostage-prisoner swap deal with Tel Aviv.
A previous deal in November 2023 saw the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.
Israel has waged a brutal offensive on Gaza since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,170 people.
Israel has killed Nearly 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 77,600 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.
