The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced today that the attacks in Gaza will continue. It warns it will launch an occupation of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite talks of a possible ceasefire with Hamas. Netanyahu insisted that the war will continue until Israel achieves all its objectives.
"The idea that we will stop the war before we achieve all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there with or without a deal, in order to achieve total victory," read a statement issued by Netanyahu's office.
His comments follow US warnings against an invasion of Rafah unless civilians are properly protected. US President Joe Biden in a phone conversation with Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated his clear position on the ongoing war. Biden has called the invasion of Rafah a "red line".
More than half of Gaza's 2.5 million people are in Rafah, having fled there to escape fighting in other parts of the territory. Conditions in the overcrowded city are dire. People there are facing shortages of food, drinking water and medicine.
About 130 of the 253 hostages kidnapped by Hamas during its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 remain missing. At least 34 of them are presumed dead. The rest were released or rescued.