Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that “no force in the world” would be able to prevent his army from entering Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Yeni Şafak.
We will complete the elimination of the Hamas battalions, including in Rafah. No force in the world will stop us. Many forces are trying to do this, but it will not help because this enemy, after what he has done, will not do it again.
Netanyahu stated on Monday that a definite date for the Israeli army’s entry into Rafah had been set. Israel refused to halt the Gaza offensive until over 130 Israeli hostages held by Hamas were released.
Several countries, including the US, urged Israel to abandon plans for the ground assault on Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people took refuge from the ongoing offensive.
US President Joe Biden labelled Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza a “mistake” on Tuesday, further criticising Israel’s approach to the conflict. According to Onmanorama, Biden also previously called Israel’s bombing in the Gaza Strip “indiscriminate” and the military action “over the top.”
I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach. What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country.
The United States has traditionally defended Israel at the UN Security Council and vetoed three draft resolutions on the Gaza war. Last month, it abstained when the Security Council demanded an immediate ceasefire.
Denmark’s Foreign Ministry announced sending $15 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank amid warnings of imminent famine, Yeni Şafak reported. Minister for Development Co-operation and Global Climate Policy, Dan Jorgensen, however, emphasised that the world “cannot hide the fact that it is difficult to get in the emergency aid.”
Therefore, at the same time, we are putting massive diplomatic pressure on Israel to open up better opportunities to bring in the emergency aid.
According to Denmark Broadcasting Corporation, the money would be spent on clean drinking water, food, with part being used to protect aid workers in the Gaza Strip, as well as ensuring that aid would reach civilians.
Seven workers from the international humanitarian organisation World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in a convoy earlier this month in an Israeli airstrike. Israel called it a “mistake” but WCK stated that it believed the attack was not an accident and that it was systematically aimed at the convoy.
A new round of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel began in Egypt on Sunday to reach an agreement on a prisoner swap and ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed over 33,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel is accused of genocide at the UN International Court of Justice, which issued an interim ruling in January ordering it to stop acts of genocide and take steps to guarantee humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
