Will press forward with military assault in Rafah: Israeli PM

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel would press forward with its military campaign into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amid rising international pressure.

A growing chorus of voices have joined in calls for Israel not to enter Rafah, one of the last relatively safe areas, where 1.5 million people have sought shelter.

“We will finish the job in Rafah while enabling the civilian population to get out of harm’s way,” Netanyahu said in a video address to a conference of the pro-Israel AIPAC organization in Washington, D.C.

Netanyahu’s comments came as European Union leaders plan to urge Israel not to launch a ground operation in Rafah, according to draft conclusions of an upcoming summit.

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping” by conducting the war in a way contrary to the country’s values.

Meanwhile, the White House has urged Hamas militants in Gaza to release women, elderly and wounded hostages and accept a temporary ceasefire in the fighting with Israel in order to secure a more lasting one.

“A ceasefire is on the table today, for six weeks to be built on into something more enduring if Hamas would simply release women, wounded and elderly,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.

Gaza death toll at 31,272

The health ministry in Hamasrun Gaza said on Wednesday that at least 31,272 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants. The latest toll includes at least 88 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 73,024 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war began on October 7.