Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wartime cabinet of his country has approved the continuation of an operation in Rafah in order to force "Hamas" to release the Israeli hostages and achieve the other military goals that Israel has set for itself in the war against the Palestinian movement, reported "Reuters", quoted by NOVA, citing a statement from Netanyahu's office.
"At the same time, although the proposals of "Hamas" regarding a cease-fire are far from Israel's demands, Israel will send a working delegation to the mediators to fully consider the possibility of reaching a cease-fire agreement under conditions acceptable to Israel," added the text quoted by BTA.
Earlier yesterday, Israeli sources told The Associated Press that Israel's wartime cabinet had approved an operation in Rafah and Israeli forces were striking the eastern part of the city. In a brief statement, the Israeli military clarified that they were carrying out precision strikes in that part of the city, but would provide more details at a later stage, reported "Reuters". The strikes are against targets of "Hamas".
Before that, the Israeli army issued a warning in the morning and then in the evening to the residents of the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah to evacuate, recalls "France Press".
It was reported yesterday that US President Joe Biden had a 30-minute phone call with Netanyahu, in which he reiterated his clear position that the US does not support ground operations in Rafah and added that Israel should not move forward with plan to invade the city until it shows how it will protect the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians who are there, reported "Reuters".