[Jimbuna]

Benjamin Netanyahu sets date for Rafah offensive as pressure grows

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has set a date for a military offensive into Rafah.

The Israeli army has been planning to send troops into the southern Gazan city for weeks, despite warnings it could lead to high civilian casualties.

Mr Netanyahu's apparent commitment to a date came after he faced calls by far-right government allies to intensify military actions against Hamas.

The prime minister's popularity has plummeted after six months of war.

With negotiations with Hamas ongoing in Egypt, Mr Netanyahu is being pushed to agree a hostage-prisoner swap and ceasefire deal by many Israelis - as well as key international allies, including the US.

But as discontent grows at home and abroad over how his government has conducted the war, he is also facing calls to ramp up operations against Hamas by far-right leaders he has relied on for political support.

Mr Netanyahu's rule is backed by a coalition that includes far-right, ultranationalist parties, some of whom are against the idea of making concessions to Hamas.

They say the war must continue and believe the Israeli military should go ahead with plans to launch an incursion into the southern city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in tents and overcrowded camps.

Those calls intensified after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced it was pulling its troops out of Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza, effectively ending major ground operations in the area.

Itamar Ben Gvir, the far-right national security minister, warned Mr Netanyahu that if he "decides to end the war without a broad attack on Rafah to defeat Hamas, he won't have a mandate to continue serving as prime minister".

Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich told the prime minister "we have to increase the pressure on Hamas in Gaza, which is the only way to bring back the [Israeli] hostages and destroy Hamas".

Speaking on Monday after those interventions, Mr Netanyahu said: "Today I received a detailed report on the talks in Cairo - we are constantly working to achieve our goals, first and foremost the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas.

"This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen - there is a date."

The remarks may be seen as an attempt to appeal to allies that sustain his coalition, as any offensive is unlikely to be imminent. Mr Netanyahu did not indicate which date he had decided on.

The US is opposed to an assault on Rafah, and the Israeli government has also been urged to halt the planned offensive in a joint statement signed by Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Writing in France's Le Monde newspaper, they warned the plan would have "dangerous consequences" and "threaten regional escalation", adding: "The war in Gaza and the catastrophic humanitarian suffering it is causing must end now.

They also said a recent UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all Hamas-held hostages must be "fully implemented without further delay".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68766913