Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the most intense phase of the war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas is coming to an end and that another phase will see lower-intensity fighting, along with the potential repositioning of troops on the northern border with Lebanon. .
“We need to eliminate all Hamas battalions, and now we are in Rafah and we are about to finish this stage,” Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 14 on Sunday, although he promised the war would not end.
Israel is fighting what it says are the last Hamas battalions holed up in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that Israeli troops entered last month and have slowly expanded. The city was a refuge for more than a million Palestinian civilians, but was evacuated when Israeli forces entered.
Netanyahu said in Sunday’s interview that operations would continue in Gaza to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas even after the most intense phase ends. He also cast doubt on a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. President Biden has proposed a three-phase plan to free hostages, withdraw Israeli troops from populated areas of Gaza and maintain a ceasefire while negotiations continue.
“I am not ready to stop the war and leave Hamas intact,” Netanyahu said. “We will make a deal and fulfill the objective of destroying Hamas.”
“I don’t see any factor that eliminates terrorism, only the IDF,” he added, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages on October 7, starting the war. Around 120 hostages still remain in Gaza, an uncertain number alive.
Netanyahu added on Sunday that some troops would move north to Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group continues to trade deadly fire with Israel across the border as the conflict moves closer to a potential all-out war. .
“In the north, the agreement will not be a paper agreement. It will include the physical removal of Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said. He appeared to reject diplomatic efforts by a US special envoy to the region to ease tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border.
Netanyahu has faced pressure in Israel to present a clear post-war plan, with some of his detractors accusing him of prolonging the war in Gaza for his political survival. The Israeli leader faces questions over the October 7 security failure along with pre-war scandals, including a controversial judicial review plan and accusations of fraud.
Hostages’ families demanded the release of their loved ones and protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against Netanyahu, whose war cabinet collapsed earlier this month when centrist opposition leader Benny Gantz left the group and accused the prime minister. Israeli minister of failing to tackle the most vexing problems of the war, including a more concrete post-war plan.
Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 14 that protesters should “come to their senses” and called for unity. He also reiterated his plans for a post-war Gaza that includes indefinite Israeli security control and non-Hamas local Palestinian governance.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
