
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said Israel will be moving forward with a planned attack on the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip despite pleas from the United States and other countries concerned for the 1 million civilians sheltering there.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Netanyahu&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1777380259131789536" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">on Monday said</a>&nbsp;a victory against the militant group Hamas, which attacked Israel in October, &#8220;requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen &#8211; there is a date.”</p>



<p>The prime minister has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/02/09/israeli-prime-minister-orders-plan-to-evacuate-13-million-people-in-rafah/?sh=69e1c8e22e08">for months insisted</a>&nbsp;attacks in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza strip, are necessary to eliminate Hamas and win the six-month war, but Western allies have warned against attacking the city that holds more than 1 million civilian refugees who have been driven from their homes.</p>



<p>Netanyahu’s announcement follows backlash from his far-right supporters after <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2024/04/07/rafah-invasion-on-pause-israel-withdraws-most-troops-from-southern-gaza-heres-what-that-could-mean/?sh=5046a14124b2">Israel withdrew</a> most of its troops from southern Gaza on Sunday, a decision met with scrutiny and a threat from security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/5b4fed42-cbb6-472d-8e3a-6249c6d9c6cb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warning</a> that if he didn’t launch a &#8220;large-scale offensive&#8221; in Rafah, Netanyahu &#8220;will not have a mandate to continue&#8221; as prime minister.</p>



<p>The United States has put increasing pressure on Netanyahu to not authorize a major military strike in Rafah—President Joe Biden weeks ago said to do so would be a “<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/18/biden-warns-netanyahu-against-mistake-of-invading-rafah-white-house" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">mistake</a>” and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/biden-warns-israel-to-protect-civilians-aid-workers-in-gaza-or-risk-losing-u-s-support#:~:text=Today%2C%20for%20the%20first%20time,the%20civilian%20suffering%20in%20Gaza." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Thursday said</a>&nbsp;continued U.S. support for the war in Gaza would depend on how well Israel worked to protect civilians and aid workers.</p>



<p>Biden told Netanyahu that he needed to take “measurable” steps to ease &#8220;civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers” or risk losing the support of the United States, Israel&#8217;s closest ally.</p>



<p>About two-thirds of the entire population of the Gaza Strip (some 1.5 million people) was sheltering in Gaza as of two weeks ago with no safe way to evacuate, Deepmala Mahl of the humanitarian organization CARE International&nbsp;<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/israeli-invasion-rafah-palestinian-civilians/story?id=108395828#:~:text=With%20about%20two-thirds%20of,evacuate%20them%2C%22%20she%20said." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">told ABC News</a>&nbsp;while warning of a &#8220;terrible loss of life&#8221; if Israel&#8217;s military invades.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Netanyahu&#8217;s announcement comes one day after the six-month anniversary of an attack on Israel by Hamas that saw the group kill about 1,200 Israelis and take 253 hostages on Oct. 7. Twenty days later, Israel responded by carrying out attacks in Gaza that the territory’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/health-ministry-in-hamas-run-gaza-says-war-death-toll-at-33-207-1c950825" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">health ministry says</a>&nbsp;have killed more than 33,000 people. In that time, more than 2.3 million residents of Gaza have been displaced, more than half of whom&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-09-2024-d3229eec6a85c071248d3ddc2de2a73e" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">sought shelter</a>&nbsp;in Rafah. Military operations in Rafah have been increasingly criticized by foreign governments and international organizations. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nrc.no/news/2024/february/gaza-israels-military-operation-in-rafah-would-be-fatal-for-displaced-civilians-and-humanitarian-aid/#:~:text=Any%20further%20deterioration%20in%20humanitarian,showers%2C%20or%20personal%20hygiene%20items." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Norwegian Refugee Council</a>&nbsp;said an attack would &#8220;turn Rafah into a zone of bloodshed and destruction&#8221; and&nbsp;<a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/care-statement-grave-humanitarian-consequences-military-operation-rafah" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">CARE International&nbsp;</a>warned against &#8220;devastating consequences for civilians.&#8221; In addition to Biden&#8217;s concerns on behalf of the United States, more than two dozen countries in the&nbsp;<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/israeli-invasion-rafah-palestinian-civilians/story?id=108395828#:~:text=With%20about%20two-thirds%20of,evacuate%20them%2C%22%20she%20said." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">European Union</a>&nbsp;(all but Hungry) last month warned against what they called a &#8220;catastrophic&#8221; offensive plan in Rafah.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Continued negotiations in Cairo. Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz on Monday told Israel’s Army Radio that the country has reached a &#8220;critical point&#8221; in its negotiations with Hamas over the safe return of 133 hostages still held in Gaza by the militant group. “I am more optimistic than I was,&#8221;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/5b4fed42-cbb6-472d-8e3a-6249c6d9c6cb" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">he reportedly said</a>, &#8220;but we can’t promise things when dealing with Hamas.” Netanyahu&#8217;s&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1777380259131789536" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">statement</a>&nbsp;Monday also referenced the talks in Cairo, saying &#8220;we are working all the time to achieve our goals, primarily the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas.&#8221;</p>


Destruction in Khan Yunis after Israel’s withdrawal

Israel Moving Ahead With Plan To Attack Rafah: ’There Is A Date,’ Netanyahu Says


<p><strong>TOPLINE </strong>Israeli air and ground forces attacked Gaza Strip targets Thursday night, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to extract a “very heavy price” in response to rocket attacks from Hamas militants in the territory — but local news outlets say Israeli troops have not launched an actual ground invasion in Gaza yet.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>Hamas — which controls Gaza — and other militant groups have fired&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-airstrikes.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hundreds of rockets</a>&nbsp;toward Israeli population centers in recent days, and the Israeli Defense Force has responded with heavy airstrikes that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/05/12/israel-palestine-gaza-building-collapse-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">toppled</a>&nbsp;several Gaza Strip buildings, reportedly leading to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57097475" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">over 100</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/weary-gaza-marks-muslim-feast-as-violence-spreads-in-israel/2021/05/13/0545e73e-b3ad-11eb-bc96-fdf55de43bef_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Palestinian deaths</a>&nbsp;and at least seven Israeli deaths.</p>



<p>The IDF has massed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/13/94-dead-in-gaza-conflict-as-worries-rise-of-israeli-ground-invasion/?sh=15598cf97eb6">thousands of troops</a>&nbsp;near the Gaza border in preparation for a ground campaign, and both air and ground troops are “currently attacking in the Gaza Strip,” the military&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1392953390443991040" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said on Twitter</a>&nbsp;early Friday morning, Israel time.</p>



<p>Some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/05/13/world/israel-gaza-news" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">international</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-steps-up-airstrikes-against-hamas-in-gaza-tries-to-contain-violence-at-home-11620900941?mod=hp_lead_pos4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">media</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/arabic/middleeast-57089065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlets</a>&nbsp;claimed IDF troops have already entered the territory, but its forces appear to be shelling the Gaza Strip from Israeli-controlled positions rather than carrying out a ground invasion in the territory, local and regional outlets like Israeli&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/roysharon11/status/1392955293466828805" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">public broadcaster</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/roysharon11/status/1392973698777354243" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kan 11</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-may-13-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Times of Israel</em></a>&nbsp;and Qatar-based al Jazeera reported.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h3>



<p>Israeli officials say they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/biden-send-envoy-israel-palestine-gaza-crisis-2115a8db-3453-41e0-a0ea-01b373b0ec68.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aren’t interested</a>&nbsp;in an immediate ceasefire, instead promising to punish Hamas. “I said that we would extract a very heavy price from Hamas and the other terrorist organizations,” Netanyahu&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1392972151028858880" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Thursday night</a>. “This operation will continue as long as necessary in order to restore the calm and security to the state of Israel.”</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h3>



<p>If Israeli troops ultimately enter the Gaza Strip, it would mark the country’s first major ground campaign in the territory in seven years. Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4841877" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pulled all troops</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/02/does-israel-actually-occupy-the-gaza-strip/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">settlers</a>&nbsp;from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas — which most Western countries deem a terrorist group —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-timeline/timeline-key-events-since-2006-hamas-election-victory-idUSL1752364420070620" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">took over</a>&nbsp;the territory in the following year, but Israel and Hamas have periodically exchanged fire since then. During a bout of violence in 2014, the IDF made a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-strip.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rare ground incursion</a>&nbsp;into Gaza with a stated mission of destroying the territory’s cross-border tunnels.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>The latest hostilities between Israel and Hamas follow days of unrest and tension. Israeli police&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-jerusalem-076a9ec7e2bd9c065882c64a4ab820a1?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clashed</a>&nbsp;with Palestinian protesters earlier this week at East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque, and protesters and police&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/world/middleeast/evictions-jerusalem-israeli-palestinian-conflict-protest.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">faced off</a>&nbsp;last week over planned evictions of several Palestinian families in part of East Jerusalem, an area&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jerusalem-middle-east-lifestyle-government-and-politics-43d4cab031c28da0abf98d694dd169ac" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">annexed by Israel</a>&nbsp;decades ago. Plus, violent street clashes have erupted in cities with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/world/middleeast/arab-jewish-violence-lod.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">large numbers</a>&nbsp;of both Jewish and Arab Israelis.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



<p>The United States has called for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/11/995942104/biden-administration-urges-israelis-and-palestinians-to-de-escalate-conflict" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">de-escalation</a>. Some Biden administration statements have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-blinkens-call-with-israeli-prime-minister-netanyahu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">relatively muted</a>, broadly defending Israel’s right to self-defense and condemning civilian violence. Meanwhile, the Pentagon&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/553453-pentagon-120-us-military-personnel-moved-from-israel-out-of-an-abundance-of" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Thursday</a>&nbsp;it has moved 120 U.S. troops out of Israel, and the U.S. State Department is telling Americans to reconsider traveling there.</p>


Tag: Benjamin Netanyahu

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