Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel can “stand-alone” after the US warned that arms shipments could be halted if he orders a full-scale invasion of Rafah in Gaza.
Thousands have already fled the southern city after the Israeli military began what it called a “limited” operation on Monday. US President Joe Biden has repeatedly cautioned against the operation, stating that it would cross a “red line.” However, Mr. Netanyahu dismissed the US warning, asserting that Israel would continue to fight.
“If we need to… we will stand alone. I have said that if necessary, we will fight with our fingernails,” the prime minister declared.
Mr. Netanyahu also referenced the 1948 war, when the newly formed State of Israel was attacked by a coalition of Arab states, to dismiss the US warnings.
“In the War of Independence 76 years ago, we were few against many,” he said. “We did not have weapons. There was an arms embargo on Israel, but with great strength of spirit, heroism, and unity among us—we were victorious.”
Despite Mr Netanyahu’s statements, his government has faced pressure after the US suspended the delivery of 1,800 2,000lb (907kg) bombs and 1,700 500lb bombs due to concerns that they could cause civilian deaths in Rafah. Mr. Biden went further in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, stating that if the attack proceeded, he would suspend supplies of artillery shells and other weapons.
Yoav Gallant, Mr Netanyahu’s defence minister, dismissed the US warnings, saying Israel’s
“enemies as well as… best of friends” should understand that his country “cannot be subdued.”
“We will stand strong, we will achieve our goals,”
he added.
The comments came hours after the UN reported that more than 80,000 people had fled Rafah since Monday amid constant bombardment, as Israeli tanks massed close to built-up areas. The UN also warned that food and fuel were running out for the more than one million people still sheltering in the city, as it was not receiving aid through nearby crossings.
Israeli troops took control and closed the Rafah crossing with Egypt at the start of their operation, while the UN said it was too dangerous for its staff and trucks to reach the reopened Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.
Israeli forces stated they were conducting “targeted raids” against Hamas elements remaining in the city. However, the Israeli government has not ruled out a full-scale invasion, leading to Mr. Biden’s warning that he would not supply the necessary munitions to do so.
Israeli Operation Leaves Rafah’s Hospitals Overwhelmed
US bomb delays are the biggest warning yet for Israel. Israeli police have raided a studio linked to Al Jazeera. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Mr. Biden did not believe that “smashing into Rafah” would advance Israel’s objective of defeating Hamas.
“An enduring defeat of Hamas remains the Israeli goal, and we share that goal with them,” Mr. Kirby said. “The argument that we’re walking away from Israel, or that we’re not willing to help them defeat Hamas, just doesn’t align with the facts.”
Palestinian media reported that two people were killed on Thursday afternoon in an Israeli airstrike in the al-Jneineh neighborhood of Rafah—one of the eastern areas that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered residents to evacuate before beginning their ground operation on Monday night. Another three people were reportedly killed in an airstrike in the nearby Brazil area, which is not in the evacuation zone but is near the Egyptian border.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)—both designated as terrorist organizations by Israel, the US, and other countries—claimed they were targeting Israeli forces on the eastern outskirts with mortar bombs and anti-tank missiles. Hamas also stated that it had blown up a booby-trapped tunnel east of Rafah beneath three Israeli military vehicles. The IDF confirmed that three of its soldiers were moderately wounded by the explosion.
Overnight, at least five people were reportedly killed when a family’s home in the western Tal al-Sultan neighborhood was hit in an Israeli strike. The victims included three children, one of them a one-year-old infant, medics said.
Hopes Fade for a Peace Deal
Meanwhile, hopes for a peace deal—which seemed close earlier in the week before Israel rejected it—are fading. Both Israeli and Hamas delegations left indirect talks in Cairo on Thursday.
After seven months of war in Gaza, Israel insists that victory is impossible without taking the city of Rafah and eliminating the last remaining Hamas battalions. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, during which about 1,200 people were killed, and 252 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
More than 34,900 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Israel reports that 128 hostages are unaccounted for, 36 of whom are presumed dead.
