Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his goal of eliminating the Palestinian Hamas movement, insisting that no amount of international pressure and criticism over civilian casualties will stop Israel. The country's “very survival is at stake” and a “total victory” is within reach, he claimed.
Netanyahu vowed to bring the offensive into Rafah, a major city near Gaza’s border with Egypt and the last refuge of some 1.5 million people, in a video address to the pro-Israel AIPAC organization in Washington on Tuesday.
The city and its surroundings became crowded with refugees after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) instructed Palestinians to flee the northern part of the enclave. The Israeli prime minister repeatedly rejected international calls for a ceasefire, arguing that the IDF must clear out the remaining Hamas strongholds.
“To win this war, we must destroy the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Netanyahu insisted. “If not, Hamas will regroup, rearm and reconquer Gaza and then we’re back to square one. And that’s an intolerable threat that we cannot accept.”
“We will finish the job in Rafah while enabling the civilian population to get out of harm’s way,” he added.
Hamas fighters attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages back to Gaza. Netanyahu responded by declaring war on the Palestinian militant group and imposing a near-total siege on the enclave. In just over five months of fighting, Israeli forces have killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
@MellowWildfowlRepublican3mos3MO
I just watched the 47-minute raw-footage compilation from October 7. Israel needs to finish the job of wiping Hamas off the face of the earth. Then there must be a plan to change Palestinian political culture to never allow such evil to blossom, as was done in Japan and Germany.
@MandrillAlexandraRepublican3mos3MO
I am seriously beginning to think the Israelis should make the video public. Hate to think that, but all the people marching in London, and NYC, and everywhere else should be forced to confront just what they are supporting.
@D3mocratBrettGreen3mos3MO
Netanyahu and his government added their names to Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, considering them the Nazis of our time through the crimes they committed in Gaza.
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
If faced with an intolerable threat, what measures do you believe are acceptable for a country to take, even if those measures include actions that significantly harm civilians?
@9KV82G93mos3MO
They can take measures to protect their country, but not anything that is overly cruel and inhumane to innocent civilians.
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
Would you support your country’s leader if they chose to prioritize potential long-term security over immediate humanitarian concerns?
@9KV8WF8Republican3mos3MO
I do not have enough information to form an opinion on this matter.
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
The historical activity of users engaging with this general discussion.
Loading data...
Loading chart...
Loading the political themes of users that engaged with this discussion
Loading data...
