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Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF is prepared to conduct the attack and evacuate the civilian population.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the latest truce and prisoner-exchange proposal by Hamas and has approved an IDF plan to launch an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Israeli media reported on Friday.
â The IDF is prepared for the operation and to evacuate the [civilian] population,â the PMâs office said in a statement, as cited by the Times of Israel.
As reported by Reuters, which has seen the proposal, the Palestinian militants proposed the release of Israeli women, including female soldiers, children, the elderly and ill hostages, in exchange for Israel freeing between 700 and 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Once the prisoner exchange is complete, Hamas said it would be ready to negotiate a date for a permanent ceasefire.
The Jewish state, however, dismissed the proposal and accused Hamas of making âunrealistic demands.â On Thursday, Netanyahu also reiterated Israelâs determination to complete its mission of âeliminatingâ Hamas.
Israelâs decision to proceed with a ground incursion into Rafah comes after repeated warnings from the international community, including the US and Egypt, not to enter the city where some 1.5 million Palestinians are currently sheltering…
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Michele Rigby Assad spent years as a CIA operative in the Middle East. She has a very clear understanding of the dynamics on this issue.
Look her up.