Victory “a matter of months”
Israel prepares ground offensive in Rafah
February 7, 2024, 8:47 p.m
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The Israeli Prime Minister announces a military offensive in Rafah. The city on the border with Egypt is said to be home to more than 1.3 million Palestinian internally displaced people. Netanyahu rejects the terrorist organization’s demands for a ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the Israeli army to “prepare” for an operation in the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. In a televised speech, Netanyahu said that responding to the terrorist organization Hamas’ “bizarre demands” for a ceasefire would not lead to the return of the hostages, but would “only invite another massacre.” A victory over Hamas is “a matter of months.”
Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Gallant had already indicated last week that the army would expand its ground operations to the southern city of Rafah. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock then warned that a military offensive in Rafah was “unjustifiable”. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said an Israeli push into Rafah would exponentially increase the existing “humanitarian nightmare with unforeseeable regional consequences.” According to UN figures, there are now more than 1.3 million Palestinian internal refugees in the city, which once had a population of 200,000.
Netanyahu rejects Hamas demands
The terrorist organization Hamas had previously responded to an international mediation proposal. In return for a further release of hostages, she demanded that Israel release more than 1,500 Palestinian prisoners from prison – including 500 prisoners who were sentenced to life or very long prison sentences. Hamas also continues to insist on a ceasefire. Israel rejects this. From Israel’s perspective, only a temporary ceasefire is conceivable within the framework of an agreement.
Hamas also called for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and an end to the blockade of the coastal strip. More help should also come to the area. Hamas wants guarantees from Qatar, the USA, Turkey and Russia for the implementation of the agreement. According to Israeli military figures, of the approximately 136 hostages still held by Hamas, at most just over a hundred are still alive. However, according to unconfirmed reports, other hostages may have been killed.