Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday brushed off growing calls to halt the military offensive in Gaza, vowing to “finish the job” as a member of his War Cabinet threatened to invade the southern city of Rafah if remaining Israeli hostages are not freed by the upcoming moslem holy month of Ramadan.
This from newsmax.com.
Israel’s government has not publicly discussed a timeline for a ground offensive on Rafah, where more than half the enclave’s 2.3 million Palestinians have sought refuge. Retired general Benny Gantz, part of Netanyahu’s three-member War Cabinet, represents an influential voice but not the final word on what might lie ahead.
Gantz told a conference of Jewish American leaders:
If by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will continue to the Rafah area.
Ramadan—expected to begin March 10—is historically a tense time in the region.
As cease-fire negotiations struggle after signs of progress in recent weeks, Netanyahu has called demands by Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group “delusional.”
The United States, Israel’s top ally, has said it:
[S]till hopes to broker a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement and envisions a wider resolution of the war sparked by Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel.
The U.S. also said it:
[W]ill veto another draft U.N. resolution calling for a cease-fire, with its U.N. ambassador warning against measures that could jeopardize the opportunity for an enduring resolution of hostilities.
NOTE: Netanyahu opposes Palestinian statehood, which the U.S. calls a key element in a broader vision for normalization of relations between Israel and regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu’s Cabinet adopted a declaration Sunday saying Israel:
[C]ategorically rejects international edicts on a permanent arrangement with the Palestinians [and opposes any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state].
The international community overwhelmingly supports an independent Palestinian state as part of a future peace agreement, however, Netanyahu’s government is filled with hard-liners who oppose Palestinian independence.
Netanyahu wants Israel to achieve “total victory” over Hamas. In response to international concern over a Rafah offensive, he has said Palestinian civilians will be evacuated, but where they will go in largely devastated Gaza is not clear.
There are Ghazan claims that Israeli strikes have killed at least 18 people overnight into Sunday.
A bystander after the Rafah strike, Ahmad Abu Rezeq, said:
All those who were martyred were those whom the Jews asked to move to safe places.
Israel’s military rarely comments on individual strikes and blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the militants operate in dense residential areas.
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said:
[A]t least 200 militants surrendered at the hospital.
He also claimed that Hamas in Khan Younis is defeated, and that Hamas is largely leaderless in Gaza. He gave no evidence to support the claims.
Militants still hold approximately 130 hostages, a fourth of them believed to be dead. Most of the others were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November.
In the occupied West Bank, a shootout erupted when Israeli forces went to arrest an armed suspect in the town of Tulkarem.
The military said:
[T]he suspect was killed, and a member of Israel’s paramilitary Border Police was severely wounded.
It described the target of the raid as a senior militant. The Palestinian Health Ministry said two Palestinians were killed.
The U.S. Central Command said it:
[C]onducted five self-defense strikes Saturday against cruise missiles and drones in area of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group.
Algeria, the Arab representative on the U.N. Security Council, has circulated a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza, and rejecting the forced displacement of Palestinians.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the draft “will not be adopted” and runs counter to Washington’s efforts to end the fighting. The U.S. vetoed previous resolutions that had wide international support.
The U.S., Qatar, and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker a cease-fire and hostage release, but Qatar said Saturday:
[T]he talks have not been progressing as expected.
Hamas has said it will not release all remaining hostages without Israel ending the war and withdrawing from Gaza. It also demands the release of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including top militants.
Final thoughts: This reads like a distinct standoff and my guess is Hamas will lose.
God speed to the IDF.
