Media Wire

Netanyahu says Israel’s total victory in Gaza ‘weeks away’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Tel Aviv will soon achieve “total victory in its war against Hamas" once it begins a major ground offensive planned at the southern end of the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu’s government has faced international pressure to cancel the Rafah invasion because around 1.4 million civilians are taking refuge in the city after being driven from other parts of the Palestinian enclave by Israeli bombardments. Civilians will be evacuated into previously cleared areas to the north of Rafah before the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) storm Gaza’s last Hamas stronghold, the PM explained

Speaking in a CBS News interview on Sunday, Netanyahu said the offensive in Rafah, Gaza, will be briefly delayed if a temporary ceasefire is negotiated with Hamas, but it will happen sooner or later.

“If we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it anyway,” he continued, adding, “It has to be done because total victory is our goal, and total victory is within reach – not months away, weeks away, once we begin the operation.”

“Victory is in reach, and you can’t have victory until you eliminate Hamas,” Netanyahu stated.

“Once we begin the Rafah operation, the intense phase of the fighting is weeks away from completion.”

He claimed that the IDF has already destroyed 18 of the 24 Hamas battalions in Gaza, and four of the surviving units are concentrated in Rafah, near the enclave’s border with Egypt.

Netanyahu insisted that Israeli forces won’t force Palestinian civilians into Egypt, jeopardizing diplomatic relations with Cairo. Asked about US demands for a “credible” plan to evacuate displaced Gazans from Rafah, he stressed, “We don’t have to be prodded. We’re on the same page with the US on this because that’s how we do it.”

The war began when Hamas fighters launched surprise attacks against southern Israeli villages on October 7, killing more than 1,100 people and taking hundreds of hostages back to Gaza. Netanyahu said the conflict can only end when Israel achieves its three key goals: eliminating Hamas, freeing the hostages, and ensuring that Gaza never again poses a threat to Tel Aviv.

Negotiations for a ceasefire – to enable an exchange of Hamas hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails – started on Friday in Paris.

A deal will only be possible if Hamas backs down from its “crazy demands”, Netanyahu added.

Nearly 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to local health authorities.

IFP Media Wire

Reports and views published in the Media Wire section have been retrieved from other news agencies and websites, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website. The IFP may change the headlines of the reports in a bid to make them compatible with its own style of covering Iran News, and does not make any changes to the content. The source and URL of all reports and news stories are mentioned at the bottom of each article.

Recent Posts

Iran says ready for both cooperation and confrontation

The spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, has said while Iran…

7 hours ago

Iranian MP calls for Tehran to leave NPT

A senior Iranian MP has called for Iran to leave the NPT amid tension between…

12 hours ago

Russian president announces mass production of Oreshnik missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed the decision to begin serial production of the new…

12 hours ago

China-Iran relations strengthen amid global changes: Chinese ambassador

Chinese Ambassador to Iran, Cong Peiwu, has reaffirmed China's unwavering commitment to strengthening friendly cooperation…

14 hours ago

At least six Israeli soldiers commit suicide, thousands more get mental health treatment amid war: Report

At least six Israeli soldiers have taken their own lives in recent months, the Israeli…

15 hours ago

Britain suggests would comply with ICC warrant and arrest Israeli PM

The British government has announced it will comply with its obligations under domestic and international…

16 hours ago