Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that preparations for the offensive on the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip “will take some time.”
The head of government said in a video address that he told US President Joe Biden during their last telephone conversation that it is not possible to achieve victory without the Israeli army (IDF) entering Rafah to eliminate the remnants of Hamas troops.
Netanyahu reiterated that he had already approved the IDF’s operational plan for the city of Rafah.
“We will soon approve the plan for the evacuation of the civilian population from the combat zones,” he added.
The Israeli prime minister also commented on the relationship with Biden, saying that they initially agreed that Hamas should be eliminated.
“There is no question that during the war there were disagreements between us about the best way to achieve that goal.”
He said he also agreed with Biden’s request to send a delegation to Washington in the coming days. According to media reports, the US intends to present alternatives to the ground offensive.
“The American president asked to present to us his proposals in the humanitarian sphere, but also on other topics,” Netanyahu said.
He added that Israel sometimes agrees with its allies and sometimes not, stressing that it always does what is important for the country’s security and will do so this time as well, Hina reports.
