May 9, 2024
Updated 6 hours ago
Image source, Getty Images
image captionPrime Minister Netanyahu remained defiant in the face of US threats to suspend arms
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel can “stand alone” after the United States warned that arms shipments could be halted if he orders a full-scale invasion of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of people have already been evacuated from southern cities after the Israeli army launched what it described as a “limited” operation on Monday.
US President Joe Biden has repeatedly warned that the operation would cross a “red line”.
But Prime Minister Netanyahu dismissed the U.S. warning, saying Israel would keep fighting.
“If necessary…we will stand alone. I also said that if necessary, we will fight with our claws,” the prime minister said.
Netanyahu also brought up the 1948 war, when the newly created state of Israel was attacked by a coalition of Arab states to ignore US warnings.
“In the War of Independence 76 years ago, we were the minority against the many. We had no weapons. There was an arms embargo on Israel, but there was a very strong spirit, heroism, and our “We fought in unity,” he said. I won. ”
Despite Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comments, Netanyahu’s government has suspended the shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Rafah due to the risk of civilian casualties. I’m under pressure.
Biden went further in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, saying he would further cut off supplies of artillery shells and other weapons if an attack were to go ahead.
Netanyahu’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant dismissed the US warning, saying Israel’s “enemies and friends” must understand that the country “cannot be subdued.”
“We will stand strong and achieve our goals,” he added.
The comments came hours after the United Nations said more than 80,000 people had been evacuated from Rafah since Monday as Israeli tanks massed near the city and continued shelling.
The United Nations also warned that more than 1 million people still displaced in the city were running out of food and fuel because they were not receiving aid from nearby crossings.
Israeli forces seized and closed the Rafah border with Egypt at the start of the operation, but the United Nations said it was too dangerous for personnel and trucks to reach the reopened Kerem Shalom border with Israel.
The Israeli military said it was carrying out “targeted raids” against remaining Hamas elements in the city. However, the Israeli government has not ruled out the possibility of a full-scale invasion, and Mr. Biden has warned that it will not supply military supplies for it.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that Biden does not believe that “ramping into Rafah” will advance Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas.
“We are certain that the lasting defeat of Hamas remains Israel’s goal, and we share that goal with them,” Kirby said.
“The argument that somehow we are moving away from Israel or that we are not willing to help Israel defeat Hamas is not consistent with the facts,” he said.
image captionIsraeli tanks and other armored vehicles converge on the Gaza border fence on Thursday
Palestinian media reported that two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday afternoon in the al-Juneine neighborhood of Rafah, one of the eastern regions where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered residents to evacuate before launching a ground operation on Monday night. I told him that I did. .
Three more people were reportedly killed in airstrikes near Brazil, which is not an evacuation zone but borders Egypt.
Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which are banned as terrorist organizations by Israel, the United States and other countries, said they were targeting Israeli forces in the eastern suburbs with mortar shells and anti-tank missiles.
Hamas also said it had blown up a booby-trapped tunnel beneath three Israeli military vehicles east of Rafah. The Israel Defense Forces said three soldiers were injured in the explosion.
At least five people were reportedly killed in an Israeli attack on a family’s home in the western Tal al-Sultan district overnight. Doctors said the victims included three children, one of whom was a one-year-old infant.
Hopes for peace agreement fade
Meanwhile, hopes for a peace deal appear to be fading, although it appeared to be nearing earlier this week before Israel announced it was not past muster. Delegations from Israel and Hamas concluded indirect talks in Cairo on Thursday.
After seven months of war in Gaza, Israel claims victory is impossible unless it captures the city of Rafah and annihilates the last remaining Hamas battalion.
According to Israeli authorities, after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, Israel launched a military operation to annihilate Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were killed. He became a hostage.
More than 34,900 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-controlled region’s health ministry.
Israel announced that 128 hostages were missing, 36 of whom were presumed dead.
