Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Launch Offensive on Rafah and Send Delegation to US: Latest Updates and Details

2024-03-19 23:46:00
Netanyahu confirmed that he will launch an offensive on Rafah and will send a delegation to the US to discuss details (Zuma Press)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed this Tuesday that, despite requests from the international community – especially the United States -, he will order the Army to launch an offensive on Rafah, south of Gaza. According to him, there are still four Hamas strongholds there that, if not eradicated, “will reorganize and retake the Strip and, of course, will pose a new threat to Israel.”

This position contradicts that of the US president, Joe Biden, who expressed his opposition to this military maneuver from the beginning and has been persuading his ally to abandon the idea for weeks.

The day before, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan declared that “the President once once more rejected that showing concern regarding Rafah is the same as questioning the need to end Hamas” and insisted that “a major ground operation there it will be a mistake and will lead to more civilian deaths.”

That is why, he added, “the objectives that Israel wants to achieve in Rafah can be achieved by other means.”

The United States believes that there are other means to achieve the objectives that Israel set in Rafah (IDF)

As a result of his concern regarding the delicate humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave and the high risks that still exist there, Biden asked his counterpart to send a delegation “military, intelligence and experts in humanitarian affairs” to Washington to discuss detail your plans in the Strip.

In the last hours, Netanyahu confirmed that he will grant the request and allow Washington to present “its ideas.” “We agreed on the way in which they might present their ideas to us, especially in relation to the humanitarian aspect since, of course, we share the desire to allow the orderly exit of the population and to assist the civilian population,” commented the official and detailed that the The delegation will be made up of the Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer; National Security Advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi; and a representative of COGAT, the arm of the Ministry of Defense that deals with civil affairs in the West Bank and Gaza.

He stressed, however, that in their previous conversation, following more than a month without speaking, “I made it clear to the President that we are determined to complete the elimination of those battalions in Rafah and there is no other way to do it other than via land”.

Amid these announcements, White House Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that he will begin his sixth tour of the Middle East, in an attempt to facilitate negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which once more appear to have stalled.

Blinken announced that he will carry out his sixth tour of the Middle East in an attempt to facilitate negotiations between Israel and Hamas (REUTERS)

Thus, the Head of American Diplomacy will travel this week to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, without stopping in Tel Aviv, as he has done on previous occasions. Even the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had not received any notification to prepare for his arrival.

During his trip, spokesman Matthew Miller reported, Blinken will address “the efforts being made to achieve an immediate ceasefire agreement that guarantees the release of all remaining hostages, the intensification of international efforts to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and the coordination of the post-conflict in Gaza.”

Meanwhile, Qatar continues with the same, promoting a new round of talks this week. The day before, an Israeli delegation led by the head of the Mossad traveled to Doha to continue negotiating, although no results are expected for at least two weeks.

A Palestinian official close to these discussions assured that he expects these meetings to be “very tough” since no consensus is reached on the details of the plan.

(With information from EFE and Reuters)

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