Netanyahu says Israel will push on with offensive in Gaza’s Rafah as ceasefire talks stalled

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday asserted that his military will push on with its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, including in the southern city of Rafah, despite growing international pressure to stop.

The statement comes as ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas appear to be stalled, with both sides accusing each other of not making compromises.

Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas after its fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting 253, according to Israeli tallies. More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s subsequent offensive, according to Palestinian health officials, prompting global condemnation and calls for an immediate ceasefire.

“Today, I want to tell you clearly: The IDF will continue to operate against all of Hamas’s battalions throughout the Strip – and this includes Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold. Whoever tells us not to operate in Rafah, is telling us to lose the war – and that will not happen,” said Netanyahu on Thursday during an event at an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) training base.