Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz earlier said the country would "suspend the operation" if Hamas agreed to release the estimated 130 remaining Israeli hostages still in captivity in Gaza. His prime minister's latest words now contradict this. "We will do everything possible to return the abductees, without harming the achievements of the war for which soldiers fell."
"The release of the hostages is the top priority for us. If there will be a deal, we will suspend the operation," said Katz emphasizing that growing military pressure on Hamas increases the prospects of an agreement.
Rafah is presently home to an estimated 1.4 million people, over a million of whom are internally displaced Palestinians who fled from more northern parts of the Strip due to Israeli bombing.
Since October, Israel has conducted usual airstrikes in Rafah against what it claims are Hamas targets, and Netanyahu has threatened for months to begin a ground invasion of the city, in spite of objections from the United States and the United Nations.
"The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas' battalions there – with or without a deal, to achieve total victory," Netanyahu said in a statement. (Related: Benjamin Netanyahu sets date for invasion of Rafah amid pressure over mounting civilian casualties.)
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Hamas accepts latest ceasefire proposal, but Israel still plans to invade Rafah
On Monday, May 6, Hamas announced its acceptance of an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal. However, Israel said the deal did not meet its "core demands" and that it was pushing ahead with an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Hamas' abrupt acceptance of the cease-fire deal came hours after Israel ordered an evacuation of some 100,000 Palestinians from eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, signaling an invasion was imminent.
The group has earlier rejected Israel's terms, asserting that any agreement must involve a path to a lasting truce and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier called on Hamas to accept the newest proposal, calling it "extraordinarily generous" on Israel's part – and to "decide quickly."
"We are determined to achieve a ceasefire that will bring the abductees home, and to achieve it now," said Blinken during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. "The only reason a deal will not be reached is because of Hamas. There is an offer on the table, and as we said, no delays, no excuses."
For its part, Hamas demanded guarantees that the release of all hostages will bring a total cessation to Israel's assault on Gaza and genocide of Palestinians, including the withdrawal of all remaining Israeli troops from the territory.
Israel has already killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Follow IsraelCollapse.com for more news about Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.
Watch the video below about Israel amassing dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in what appears to be preparations for an invasion of Rafah.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Netanyahu forgets Israel fostered the rise of Hamas.
U.S. begins construction of humanitarian aid port off Gaza as Israeli invasion of Rafah looms.
Biden to Netanyahu: Agree to an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza or lose U.S. support.
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