With or Without
Read Time:4 Minute, 3 Second
Embattled Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says invasion of Rafah will go ahead with or without hostage deal as ICC is due to issue arrest warrant for him
Israel will send troops into the city of Rafah regardless of whether it reaches a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz had previously promised to cancel the controversial operation in exchange for the captives.
Situated at Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, Rafah is currently home to an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians who have fled the northern reaches of the enclave. Since October, Israel has carried out regular airstrikes in Rafah against what it claims are Hamas targets, and Netanyahu has threatened for months to launch a ground invasion of the city, despite objections from the US and UN.
“The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question,” Netanyahu said in a statement from his office. “We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas’ battalions there – with or without a deal, to achieve total victory.”
Foreign Minister Katz had told Israel’s Channel 12 on Saturday that Israel would “suspend the operation” if Hamas agreed to release some of around 130 Israeli hostages still in its captivity in Gaza.
As Katz spoke, Hamas was studying an Israeli ceasefire proposal that would see fighting temporarily paused so that several dozen hostages could be swapped for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is set to arrive in Israel to discuss the deal later on Tuesday, has called its terms “extraordinarily generous,” and called on the militants to “decide quickly” and accept it.
It is unclear how Netanyahu’s comments will affect Hamas’ decision. The militant group has previously rejected Israel’s terms, insisting that any truce must include a path to a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Netanyahu’s hardline coalition partners, however, have demanded that the prime minister go ahead with the Rafah operation. Any compromise, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Sunday, would amount to a “humiliating surrender” for Israel. During a speech on Monday, Smotrich said Israel should seek the “total annihilation” of its enemies, Israeli media reported.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir claimed on Tuesday that Netanyahu had promised him “Israel will enter Rafah, promised that we are not stopping the war, and promised that there won’t be a reckless deal.”
Israeli soldiers near the border with Gaza on April 24, 2024. © Jack Guez / AFP
Netanyahu has asked US President Joe Biden to stop the International Criminal Court (ICC) from pursuing him and several other top-ranking Israeli officials, news publisher Axios has claimed. Several media outlets reported last week that the court could charge the Israeli leadership with war crimes over the ongoing military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
In its article on Monday, Axios, citing two anonymous Israeli officials, claimed that Netanyahu had phoned Biden on Sunday, asking him to wield Washington’s clout and prevent the ICC from issuing arrest warrants.
NBC News, citing an unnamed Israeli official, also claimed on Monday that the ICC could charge Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and unnamed senior military officers, along with the prime minister.
Palestinians inspect the rubble following Saturday’s Israeli bombardment of the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza. © Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The US network quoted its source as saying that “Israel is working through diplomatic channels to try to stop the warrants being issued.” The ICC did not confirm or deny the report, telling reporters that it “has an ongoing independent investigation in relation to the situation in the State of Palestine.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu insisted on Friday that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense.” “The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Launched in 2021, the ICC’s investigation focuses on alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli military and Palestinian militant groups in the West Bank and Gaza since 2014, when Israel fought a month-long war against Hamas.
Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute and does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction. However, should a warrant in Netanyahu’s name be issued, his travel could be restricted, as the 124 countries that recognize the court may consider themselves obliged to arrest him.
The latest conflict, which was triggered by surprise Hamas attacks against southern Israeli villages on October 7, has left more than 34,000 people dead in Gaza.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Average Rating