Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he is determined to send troops into the southern Gaza city of Rafah and would do so without U.S. support.
He made the announcement after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. President Joe Biden's administration has urged Israel to hold off on its invasion of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering.
'Today, I met with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. I conveyed my deep appreciation for our joint effort in combating Hamas for over five months,' Netanyahu said.
'I emphasized our commitment to evacuating civilians from conflict zones and addressing humanitarian needs. However, I underscored the necessity of entering the Strip and neutralizing the remaining militias to defeat Hamas,' he added.
'While I expressed hope for U.S. support, I made it clear that if necessary, we would proceed independently.'
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with a woman as he meets demonstrators calling for the release of hostages kidnapped in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas
Columbia, South Carolina: Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former White House adviser charged with coming up with a Middle East peace plan, has praised the “very valuable” potential of Gaza’s waterfront real estate, suggesting that Israel should remove civilians while it “cleans up” the area.
“Gaza’s waterfront property, it could be very valuable, if people would focus on building up livelihoods,” Kushner said in an interview dated February 15,