PM Netanyahu Says Israel Will Attack Rafah There Is Or There Is No Agreement On Ceasefire

JAKARTA - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised, Israel would attack Rafah regardless of the outcome of the ceasefire negotiations, while speaking with bereaved families and relatives of the hostages who opposed the deal with Hamas before the militant group was ousted.

"The idea that we will end the war before achieving all its goals is not an option," Prime Minister Netanyahu said, as reported by The Times of Israel April 30.

"We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalion there, whether there is an agreement or not, to achieve a total victory," he continued.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office, the families of the victims and hostages urged PM Netanyahu and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi to continue the war, rejecting international pressure.

As previously reported, Israeli media quoted military sources as saying Israeli soldiers were ready to invade the Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip within 72 hours, if a ceasefire agreement was not reached.

Israeli news website Ynet reported that Israel's Chief of Military Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi approved the final plan for a military attack on Rafah with plans to move civilians to an area in the central Gaza Strip.

The site quoted the source without naming, explaining Israeli army tanks and troops had prepared at the Gaza border, and was ready to wait for the green light to strike.

The site added that in the next 48 to 72 hours it is a very important time to reach an agreement with the Hamas group or start an attack on the Rafah.