a humanitarian truce would only “delay” the offensive in Rafah, warns Benjamin Netanyahu

A military operation in Rafah would allow Israel to be only “a few weeks” of a “total victory” on Hamas, assured Benjamin Netanyahu, Sunday February 25, during an interview with the American channel CBS. The Israeli prime minister added that the army’s planned offensive would only be “delayed” if a humanitarian truce was found, while negotiations are underway to try to reach an agreement on a new pause in the fighting.

Earlier in the day, White House National Security Advisor had declared that ““Representatives of Israel, the United States, Egypt and Qatar met in Paris and reached common ground between the four of them on the outlines.” of a possible agreement on the release of the hostages and “a temporary ceasefire” in Gaza. “We hope that in the coming days we can reach a point where there is actually a solid and final agreement on this issue”he assured.

The international community is concerned about the risks posed by the Israeli military operation in Rafah, a town in the south of the Gaza Strip where nearly 1.5 million displaced people have found refuge. The conflict has already left 29,692 dead in the Palestinian territory, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, administered by Hamas, in its latest report published on Sunday. Some 2.2 million people, out of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Palestinian enclave, are also threatened with famine, according to the UN.