On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to launch an incursion into Rafah.
Rafah is a city in southern Gaza, where there are currently hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sheltering. These comments come just hours before the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel. Blinken’s visit intended to engage in truce talks between Israel and Hamas. The truce talk deal includes freeing hostages, population relief, and preventing an Israeli offensive into Rafah. Netanyahu’s comments announce an Israeli entrance into Rafah, regardless of a negotiation deal. According to a statement made by Netanyahu’s office, “We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas’ battalions there — with or without a deal, to achieve the total victory”. Ahead of the visit to Israel, Blinken stated that the attention should be placed on improving the humanitarian situation and reaching a cease-fire deal. However, Netanyahu faces increasing demand from high-ranking officials to pursue an invasion in Rafah. The United States has continuously opposed the operation, citing concerns alongside the international community for the humanitarian risk the operation poses. There are currently around 1.5 million people sheltering in Rafah and the civilian risks are extremely high. The truce talks are brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. and include the release of dozens of hostages for a six-week pause in fighting. Additionally, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel will also be released.
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https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-30-2024-f5e14fd176d69f9c4e23b48f3ab5af6a
