On Tuesday, Netanyahu met with members of the Hope Forum, which brings together relatives of hostages, and the Heroism Forum, which brings together survivors of soldiers who died during the war with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
“Stopping the war before we have achieved all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there – with or without an agreement. The goal is complete victory,” Netanyahu said, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials said Monday that new progress had been made in negotiating a hostage deal that would most likely include at least a partial revision of plans for an Israeli incursion into Rafah, the last major stronghold of Hamas.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, however, Netanyahu “heeded the call of members of both forums to continue to achieve the goals of the armed struggle and resist international pressure.”
Early elections are also at stake
According to the website, the attack on Rafáh also has “existential” significance for the prime minister. The extreme right, represented in his government by Finance Minister Becal’el Smotrič and National Security Minister Itamar ben Gvir, among others, threatens “political action” if the Israeli army does not enter the “Hamas stronghold”.
Parliamentary math suggests that it is nothing less than the fall of Netanyahu’s government and the calling of early elections, which the Israeli opposition is also keenly interested in.
Israel’s governing coalition currently has 72 members of the Knesset (Parliament). Ben Gvir with Smotrich and their parties have a total of 14 seats. Without them, the coalition will be left with only 58 seats in the 120-member Knesset. The loss of the majority then means the fall of the government.
The plan to invade Rafah is ready. Without an agreement, it will start within three days, Israeli media write
Near and Middle East
