Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Sunday, March 17, to send ground forces into Gaza's southern Rafah city despite international fears for the fate of Palestinian civilians sheltering there. The right-wing premier, whose security and war cabinets were also due to discuss latest international efforts toward a truce deal, stressed that "no amount of international pressure will stop us from realizing all the goals of the war". "To do this, we will also operate in Rafah," he told a cabinet meeting. Netanyahu also said that civilians would be able to leave before troops enter in pursuit of Hamas militants.
Israel has repeatedly threatened to launch a ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, now home to nearly 1.5 million mostly displaced Gazans sheltering near the Egyptian border. UN World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged Israel "in the name of humanity" not to launch a Rafah invasion, warning that "this humanitarian catastrophe must not be allowed to worsen". Washington, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance, has said it cannot support a Rafah operation without a "credible, achievable, executable plan" to shelter civilians.
As tensions have risen with Washington, Netanyahu also criticized the US Senate leader for urging the Israeli government to hold new elections, calling the comments "totally inappropriate." "We're not a banana republic," Netanyahu told CNN, blasting the remarks by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Schumer, who visited Israel after October 7, had also called Netanyahu an obstacle to peace. When asked by CNN whether he would commit to a new election after the war ends, Netanyahu said that "I think that’s something for the Israeli public to decide."
Netanyahu leads a coalition of religious and ultra-nationalist parties. His failure to bring home the hostages taken by Hamas militants during their attack has led to mounting protests within his country as well as domestic calls for early elections.
International envoys were planning to meet in Qatar soon to revive stalled talks for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. A Hamas proposal calls for an Israeli withdrawal from "all cities and populated areas" in Gaza during a six-week truce and for more humanitarian aid, according to an official from the Palestinian group.
Israel plans to attend the talks, with cabinet members due to "decide on the mandate of the delegation in charge of the negotiations before its departure for Doha", Netanyahu's office said, without giving a date for when they would leave.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday called for a deal to free hostages accompanied by a "longer-lasting ceasefire", as warring parties geared up for more talks. "We need a hostage deal with a longer-lasting ceasefire," Scholz said during a joint press appearance in Jerusalem with Netanyahu. A potential peace agreement "that makes Israel so weak and unable to defend itself" would "set peace backwards and not forward," Netanyahu said for his part, reiterating that "Israel has to have the necessary security responsibility" in Gaza.