Israeli Prime Minister threatens to attack Rafah with or without hostage deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

AFP news agency on April 30 quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that the country's forces will conduct an operation against Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, regardless of whether a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is reached or not.

"The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all our objectives is impossible. We will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there with or without an agreement, to achieve total victory," he declared.

US Secretary of State says Hamas should accept 'extremely generous' ceasefire deal from Israel

Netanyahu's comments came as Hamas considered the latest ceasefire plan proposed in talks in Egypt mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, which had raised hopes of an end to the conflict.

Hamas says it is considering a plan for a 40-day ceasefire and a swap of several hostages for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners.

An Israeli official said the country "will wait for an answer until Wednesday evening (May 1)" and then "make a decision" whether to send negotiators to Egypt.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera quoted the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini expressing concern that Israel's military deployment in Rafah would hinder ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.

The likelihood of such an advance “depends entirely on whether a ceasefire is reached this week,” he said.

Palestinians have not yet been asked to evacuate Rafah, he said, but "there is a feeling that if there is no ceasefire this week, it could happen at any time."

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