Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that “Israel will continue its offensive against Hamas, including in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite increasing international pressure to halt.” Also on Thursday, a Hamas official announced that the Palestinian Islamist movement’s delegation was leaving Cairo, where it had arrived on Sunday for truce talks.
“There is international pressure, and it’s growing. But particularly when international pressure mounts, we must close ranks and stand together against attempts to cease the war,” he emphasized.
Rafah, located on the southernmost fringe of the enclave near the border with Egypt, is estimated to house around 1.5 million people, most of whom have fled their homes further north to escape Israel’s military attacks.העולם חייב להבין:
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 7, 2024
כשאנחנו מנצחים את מחבלי ה-7 באוקטובר, אנחנו מונעים את ה-11 בספטמבר הבא.
דבריי בטקס סיום קורס קצינים >> pic.twitter.com/1ioQUWFcLx
Addressing a graduation ceremony at a training school for Israeli army officers, Netanyahu asserted that Israel would operate throughout Gaza, including Rafah, which he described as the last stronghold of Hamas.
“Anyone who advises against action in Rafah is essentially urging us to lose the war, and that will not happen,” Netanyahu declared.
Hamas delegation leaves Cairo
On Thursday, a senior Hamas official announced that the Palestinian Islamist movement’s delegation was departing Cairo, where it had arrived on Sunday for truce talks. He explained that Israel’s “initial responses” failed to meet the minimum requirements set by Hamas.
The American ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, clarified that although the Hamas delegation had left Cairo, where ceasefire talks had been held since Sunday, negotiations in the Gaza Strip had not been “terminated.”
“There is no agreement yet. With Ramadan approaching, we cannot guarantee the success of negotiations, but we cannot affirm their termination either,” Lew assured during a conference in Tel Aviv. “The differences are becoming less distinct,” he added.
Also on Thursday, UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, stated in a speech before the UN Human Rights Council that “Israel is destroying the Gaza Strip’s food system as part of a broader hunger campaign in the war against Hamas.”
“Israel is not only halting and restricting the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip but is also destroying its food system,” Fakhri remarked. “Israel has initiated a starvation campaign against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” he added.We call upon Israel to end it starvation campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The international community should enact an arms embargo and also sanction Israel to ensure it complies with international law. There needs to be an earnest push for a permanent ceasefire. https://t.co/XDnWmA7uGT
— Michael Fakhri (@MichaelFakhri) March 5, 2024
