Intense phase of combat in Rafah nearing conclusion, according to Netanyahu.
The Israeli forces reportedly took out several armed militants in the Rafah region, destroyed tunnels, and seized a substantial cache of arms. Fierce clashes were documented in Seitun, south of Gaza City, on Monday.
Israeli troops, targeting the final Hamas battalions stationed in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, have waged war for weeks despite global condemnation.
The ongoing skirmishes do not signal an imminent end to the conflict, clarified Netanyahu in an interview with Israeli Channel 14 on Sunday. Following the cessation of the intense phase, Israeli troops will be redeployed towards the northern border with Lebanon,primarily for defense purposes, but also to facilitate the return of displaced civilians.
Since the onset of the Gaza conflict, the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia has launched rockets and drones into northern Israel, causing widespread evacuation. Israel countered with attacks on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.
Both parties have been ramping up their threats for a possible escalation of hostilities. The Israeli military brass has already crafted a plan for a potential incursion into Lebanon. Israeli Katz issued a direct threat to Hezbollah, vowing their annihilation in a full-scale war.
German Foreign Minister Baerbock cautioned on Monday at the EU Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Luxembourg that another conflict escalation would be catastrophic for everyone in the region. The border situation between Israel and Lebanon is more fraught than ever.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell sounded the alarm that the risk of regional conflict escalation is increasing daily. Baerbock and Borrell reiterated their demand for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. "A ceasefire is urgently needed now," affirmed Baerbock. We must liberate the captives from the radical Islamic Hamas' clutches, while ending the suffering of the two million Palestinians in the coastal region.
Netanyahu maintains that he will not ratify a peace treaty that brings an end to the hostilities, but is open to a "partial agreement" that encompasses the release of hostages from the Gaza Strip. "Our objective is the return of the captives and the dismantlement of the Hamas regime in Gaza," asserted Israeli Prime Minister.
US officials have raised doubts over Israel's objective of obliterating Hamas. Hagari, the Israeli military spokesperson, shared similar skepticism, viewing Hamas as a persistent "ideology" rather than a destructible entity.
The war kicked off on October 7, with a relentless Hamas assault on Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1194 people and 251 hostage-takings in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli reports. Since then, Israel has been executing extensive military operations in the Gaza Strip, allegedly resulting in over 37,600 deaths according to the Hamas-controlled territory's health ministry, despite the lack of independent verification.
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- Netanyahu stated that the intense phase of combat in Rafah is nearing its conclusion.
- Several armed militants were reportedly taken out in Rafah by Israeli forces, along with the destruction of tunnels and a significant seizure of weapons.
- Clashes were documented in Seitun, south of Gaza City, on Monday, during the ongoing Israeli operations against Hamas battalions near the Egyptian border.
- Despite global condemnation, Israeli troops have been waging war for weeks in Rafah, targeting Hamas' final battalions.
- Netanyahu clarified in an interview that the cessation of the intense phase of combat does not mean an imminent end to the conflict.
- Following the cessation, Israeli troops will be redeployed towards the northern border with Lebanon for defense purposes and the return of displaced civilians.
- Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has launched rockets and drones into northern Israel during the conflict, causing widespread evacuation.
- Israeli counterattacks on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon have been a response to the Iran-backed militia's rocket and drone strikes.
- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned on Monday at the EU Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Luxembourg that another conflict escalation would be catastrophic for everyone in the region.
- Netanyahu is open to a "partial agreement" that includes the release of hostages from the Gaza Strip, but he is not willing to ratify a peace treaty that ends the hostilities.
- US officials have expressed doubts about Israel's objective of obliterating Hamas, with Israeli military spokesperson Hagari sharing similar skepticism.
