'Israel's' Rafah invasion will be 'very limited': Israeli official

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: NBC News
7 May 2024 15:54
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An unnamed Israeli official says the operation currently underway in Rafah will not be a large-scale offensive, which Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening to do for months, .

Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike on a residential building in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP)

An Israeli official relayed to NBC News that "Israel's" invasion into Rafah will be “a very limited” operation meant to achieve tactical military goals against the Palestinian Resistance and pressure it into ceasefire negotiations on "Israel's" terms.

The unnamed official added that this does not indicate the launch of a large-scale ground offensive into the area, something Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening to do for months.

The Israeli war cabinet approved a military operation in Rafah "in order to apply military pressure on Hamas, with the goal of making progress on freeing the hostages and the other war aims," Netanyahu's office announced in a statement yesterday.

This statement comes as Israeli negotiators are heading to Cairo today to see the differences between the Israeli-approved proposal and the Hamas-approved proposal, as confirmed by the official as well.

The Rafah and Karem Abu Salem crossings are the only routes to deliver aid to southern Gaza, the latter being under the full physical control of the occupation forces, while the former, despite its entry being under Egyptian authority, remains subject to Israeli approval or rejection by force of strikes and shelling.

Late Monday, the Israeli war cabinet decided unanimously to proceed with the invasion of the area with a population of over 1.4 million people, a few hours after Resistance group Hamas informed mediators that it had agreed on a proposed ceasefire agreement.

Capturing Rafah to 'pressure' Resistance

Israeli occupation forces have occupied the Rafah crossing with Egypt from the Palestinian side during their invasion of the city.

Sources told Axios that Israelis believe that capturing the Rafah crossing will pressure the Resistance, Hamas, by putting the occupation in direct control of the aid entering densely-populated southern Gaza.

Earlier, Hamas' Media Office said the movement informed mediators that it has agreed to a proposed prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal with the Israeli occupation.

The United States said Monday it was reviewing a response from Hamas to a ceasefire proposal as President Joe Biden's administration renewed calls on "Israel" not to invade Rafah.