‘There is no way to achieve total victory without destroying those battalions in Rafah, and we will do so.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Netanyahu addressed American Jewish leaders on Sunday night and insisted that the operation in Rafah was necessary to “finish the job” of eliminating Hamas.
Speaking at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem on Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister recounted Israel’s determination to eliminate the terror group after the Hamas massacre on October 7th that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 253 taken as hostages.
He said, “When we set out to do this, even our best friends said to us, ‘It can’t be done.”
The Prime Minister described proudly the success the IDF has had in removing Hamas from power in northern Gaza and dismantling the terror group’s headquarters in Khan Younis. He also expressed great satisfaction with the successful rescue of 2 Israeli hostages by the IDF in Rafah.
“Our brave soldiers are in the tunnels demolishing the infrastructure of these killers,” he said.
Netanyahu repeated his insistence on “total victory” and said that Israel should not be expected to be satisfied with destroying three-quarters of Hamas’s military capabilities while leaving the remainder intact.
“We cannot leave a quarter of Hamas’s terrorist battalions intact. No one would do that in the case of fighting ISIS,” he said.
“You wouldn’t leave a quarter of ISIS intact in a defined territory. You wouldn’t even think about that,” Netanyahu added.
“America finished the job with its allies, we will finish the job here, with our brave soldiers.”
Netanyahu’s remarks are delivered at a time in which the Biden Administration, which has backed Israel since the massacre on October 7th, has become increasingly critical of Israel’s military operations, particularly with a view to civilian casualties.
President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he didn’t expect Israel to initiate an operation in Rafah where over a million Gazan civilians are sheltering and has discouraged Israel from fighting in the area.
Concerning the operation in Rafah, Netanyahu said, “There is no way to achieve total victory without destroying those battalions in Rafah, and we will do so.”
Regarding the evacuation of civilians in Rafah, Netanyahu explained, “There is a lot of space north of Rafah” to evacuate the civilians. “There will be space for evacuation.”
“We have to do this in an orderly fashion — and that’s the instruction I’ve given to the IDF.”
On the subject of the hostages after an impasse in negotiations, Netanyahu declared he is committed to ensuring the release of the hostages “through military pressure and strong negotiations.”
He added that even if Israel secures a hostage deal “we will still go to Rafah.”