Israel-Gaza war: Netanyahu vows to defy allies on Rafah invasion

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his determination to launch an offensive in Rafah, defying international criticism.

The city is crammed with some 1.5 million Palestinians from other parts of Gaza seeking refuge.

His comments come as the German chancellor, on a Middle East trip, restated his opposition to the plan.

But Mr Netanyahu said “no international pressure will stop Israel” from achieving all of its war aims.

“If we stop the war now before achieving all of its goals, the meaning is that Israel had lost the war and we will not allow this,” Netanyahu told a meeting of his cabinet.

He said Israel must be able to continue its war, with the aim of eliminating Hamas, releasing all hostages and ensuring Gaza “no longer poses a threat”.

Netanyahu said the offensive in the city at the southern tip of the Gaza strip “will happen” and will take “several weeks”.

He also lashed out at his critics, saying to them: “Is your memory so short?

“So quickly you forgot about 7th October;, the worst massacre committed against Jews since the Holocaust.”

Those attacks, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage from Israel, sparked the current war.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 31,400 have been killed.

The Israeli leader met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters in a joint news conference Mr Scholz said he spoke to Mr. Netanyahu about the need to provide those in Gaza with “comprehensive humanitarian aid supplies”. He stressed that conditions for aid distribution “must be urgently and massively improved”.

He said a hostage deal for Israelis taken by Hamas on 7 October was necessary alongside a longer-lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

The German leader said he told his Israeli counterpart a “humanitarian logic” should be considered ahead of a ground offensive in Rafah.

To which Mr Netanyahu said: “Israel’s goal in eliminating the remaining terrorist battalions in Rafah goes hand in hand with enabling the civilian population to leave Rafah”.

“It’s not something that we will do, while keeping the population locked in place,” the Israeli leader added.

Israel’s plans have been heavily criticised by the international community, with the UN and US also warning that a full-scale assault in Rafah could be disastrous.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the UN’s World Health Organization, on Friday appealed to Israel “in the name of humanity” not to launch such an attack on Gaza’s southern-most city.

The US says it has not yet seen a detailed Israeli plan for Rafah, and President Joe Biden has warned Israel against expanding its invasion in the city, calling it a “red line”.

The relationship between Israel and the US is becoming ever more fractious.

President Biden has now backed the extraordinary denunciation by Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, who in effect called for Netanyahu’s replacement.

Israel’s prime minister believes he still has the pro-Israel American lobby behind him.

The risk, though, is that as the US election draws closer, the Biden administration could decide to placate Americans frustrated by its support for Israel, and begin to limit military aid.

Nevertheless, Netanyahu’s office approved plans for a military operation in Rafah on Friday, adding that the army was preparing for the evacuation of civilians.