Netanyahu: Rafah invasion 'will happen' despite international pressure

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Websites
17 Mar 2024 19:52
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Following a series of warnings, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that "Israel" will invade Rafah in the upcoming weeks.

A Palestinian walks through the destruction left by the Israeli offensive on Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, March 8, 2024 (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "Israel" will invade Rafah, where 1.2 million Palestinians currently reside, in a few weeks.

"To this end, we have approved the operational plans for action in Rafah, including advancing the steps to evacuate the civilian population from the combat zones ... We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen," Netanyahu affirmed.

The President of the World Health Organization (WHO) implored the Israeli occupation "in the name of humanity" not to begin an assault on Rafah, where the majority of Gaza's population is fleeing.

"I'm gravely concerned about reports of an Israeli plan to proceed with a ground assault on Rafah," WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X.

"Further escalation of violence in this densely populated area would lead to many more deaths and suffering," he went on to say.

Moreover, US officials claim that the US is contemplating possible response options if "Israel" invades Rafah against the US administration's warnings and without a plan to protect civilians, NBC News reported.

The NBC report noted that this comes amid an atmosphere of concern and disappointment among Democrats in Congress because "Israel" keeps brushing off President Joe Biden's warnings.

It added that the US allegedly warned "Israel" against carrying out a full-scale invasion in Rafah and suggested smaller and more targeted counterterrorism actions.

Netanyahu responded to the warnings, saying "Instead of pressuring Israel, which is fighting a war, the justice of which is unparalleled, against an enemy of unparalleled brutality, apply your pressure to [Palestinian movement] Hamas and its patron – Iran."