Why Israel is so determined to launch an offensive in Rafah

[Pelican Press 0]

Why ******* is so determined to launch an offensive in Rafah

JERUSALEM (AP) — ******* is determined to launch a ground offensive against ****** in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town, a plan that has

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because of the potential for harm to the hundreds of thousands of

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.

Prime Minister

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says ******* can’t achieve its goal of “total victory” against

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without tackling Rafah.

******* has approved military plans for its offensive. But with 1.4 million Palestinians jammed into the town, *******’s allies, including the U.S., have demanded greater care for civilians in its anticipated incursion.

Most of those Palestinians have been displaced by fighting in other parts of Gaza and are living in densely packed tent camps or crammed into apartments.

Netanyahu is

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to present the administration with its plans.

WHY RAFAH IS SO CRITICAL

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in response to ******’ deadly cross-border ******* on Oct. 7, Netanyahu has said a central goal is to ******** the Islamic group’s military capabilities.

******* says Rafah is ******’ last major stronghold in the Gaza Strip, after operations elsewhere dismantled 18 out of the militant group’s 24 battalions, according to the military.

******* says ****** has four battalions in Rafah and that it must send ground forces to topple them. Some senior militants could also be hiding in the town.

WHY THERE IS SO MUCH OPPOSITION TO *******’S PLAN

The U.S. has urged ******* not to carry out the operation without a “credible” plan to evacuate civilians. Egypt, a strategic partner of *******’s, has said that any move to push Palestinians into Egypt would threaten its four-decade-old peace agreement with *******.

In a phone call with Netanyahu this week, President

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told the ******** leader not to carry out a Rafah operation, said the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. He said the U.S. was seeking “an alternative approach” that did not involve a ground invasion.

******* DOESN’T APPEAR CLOSE TO SENDING IN TROOPS

Netanyahu said he was sending a delegation to Washington “out of respect” for Biden. But in a statement Wednesday, he said he had told Biden that ******* “cannot complete the victory” without entering Rafah.

Despite the tough talk, ******* doesn’t appear close to sending troops into Rafah. This may be connected to ongoing attempts to broker a temporary cease-*****. Qatari mediators say those talks would be set back by a Rafah invasion.

There are also logistical concerns.

*******’s military says it plans to direct the civilians to

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in central Gaza ahead of the planned offensive. Netanyahu said Wednesday evacuation plans had not yet been approved.

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Benjamin Netanyahu,*******,Rafah,******,Palestinians
#******* #determined #launch #offensive #Rafah

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