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full screen Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Archive image. Photo: Ronen Zvulun/Pool Via AP/TT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the pressure is getting harder on Israel.
– We are, of course, under increasing international pressure, which we reject in order to achieve the goals of the war, he says.
Israel has stated several goals for the Gaza war: to free all hostages in Gaza, wipe out terrorist-labeled Hamas and “ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
Netanyahu is adamant that, in order to successfully wipe out Hamas, the country needs to “eliminate the remaining battalions in Rafah”.
The Prime Minister’s statement follows Monday’s announcement from the United States, which announced that Netanyahu had agreed to send a delegation of senior Israeli officials to Washington to discuss plans for Rafah.
Criticized plans
– We have a discussion with the Americans about the need to enter Rafah, not about the need to destroy Hamas, but about the need to enter Rafah, Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
The majority of the civilian population of Gaza has taken refuge in Rafah, which is the southernmost city in the area. Israel’s plans for a ground offensive in Rafah have met with criticism from parts of the outside world, including the United States.
Further north, in Gaza City, Israel’s military says it killed what it described as more than 50 armed Hamas members during the siege of Shifa Hospital, according to the Times of Israel.
Several raids
The military also claims to have captured around 180 suspects in the raid. The figure differs from the 200 who were said to have been arrested on Monday, which may indicate that some have been released.
Early Monday, heavily armed forces entered the hospital under cover of night. According to witnesses, gunfire was heard while the hospital was surrounded, Al Jazeera reported.
Since the start of the war, Israel has carried out several raids on Shifa Hospital, which is the largest in the Gaza Strip. In November, Israel stormed the hospital in a bloody raid that was condemned by large parts of the world community.