Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces intense pressure from far-right allies to reject a new Gaza ceasefire and launch a ground offensive against Hamas in the Rafah area, near the Egyptian border. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have warned that backing down from the assault would jeopardize the government’s stability. Hamas representatives are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Monday for ceasefire talks, but Israel insists that four Hamas battalions remain entrenched in Rafah and must be eliminated after civilians are evacuated. Despite international concerns over civilian casualties and a potential humanitarian disaster, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir argue that a ceasefire would be a humiliating defeat and that Netanyahu’s government would lose its legitimacy if it fails to eliminate Hamas. On the other hand, centrist former defense minister Benny Gantz maintains that the release of hostages should take precedence over an assault on Rafah, and that rejecting a responsible deal would strip the government of legitimacy. Protests over the conduct of the war have escalated, with families of hostages accusing Netanyahu of prioritizing his political survival over their loved ones’ fate. The war has devastated the Gaza Strip and displaced thousands of Israelis, while Hamas has not yet been defeated. Tensions remain high as international mediators attempt to broker a ceasefire deal before Israel launches a threatened attack on Rafah.
Israel Finance Minister Urges Netanyahu to Press Ahead with Rafah Ground Offensive
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