Netanyahu pledges incursion into Rafah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering, as ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas appear to be gaining steam.
Netanyahu’s comments came hours before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to arrive in Israel to advance the truce talks — which appear to be one of the most serious rounds of negotiations between Israel and Hamas since the war began.
The deal is meant to free hostages, bring relief to the population and avert an Israeli offensive into Rafah and the potential harm to civilians.
The US and allies are scrambling to pull together a complex system that will move tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza by sea.
Nearly two months after US President Joe Biden gave the order, US Army and Navy troops are assembling a large floating platform several kilometres off the Gaza coast that will be the launching pad for deliveries.
But any eventual aid distribution — which could start as soon as this month — will rely on a complicated logistical and security plan.
The relief is desperately needed, with the UN saying people in Gaza are on the brink of famine. But there are still widespread security concerns. And some aid groups say that with so much more needed, the focus should instead be on pushing Israel to ease obstacles to the delivery of aid on land routes.
Humanitarian aid bound for Gaza through the maritime route will be delivered by air or sea to Cyprus.
Once the pallets of aid are inspected, they will be loaded onto ships — mainly commercial vessels — and taken about 321km to the large floating pier being built by the US military off the Gaza coast.
There, the pallets will be transferred onto trucks that will be loaded onto two types of smaller army boats.
The boats will then shuttle the trucks from the pier to a floating causeway anchored into the beach by Israeli Defence Forces.
Trucks loaded with the pallets of aid will drive to a secure area on land where they will drop off the aid and immediately turn around and return to the boats.
The current ceasefire deal being discussed, brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar, would see the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for a six-week halt in fighting as part of an initial phase, according to an Egyptian official and Israeli media. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would also be released.
Blinken, who was meeting with regional leaders in Saudi Arabia and Jordan before landing in Tel Aviv yesterday, urged Hamas to accept the latest proposal, calling it “extraordinarily generous” on Israel’s part.
But a sticking point remains over what happens next. Hamas has demanded assurances an eventual release of all hostages will bring a complete end to Israel’s nearly sevenmonth assault in Gaza and a withdrawal of its troops from the devastated territory. Israel has offered only an extended pause, vowing to resume its offensive once the first phase of the deal is over.