Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday that he will destroy Hamas, regardless of whether the terror group accepts a recent ceasefire agreement.
According to an Israeli official familiar with the meeting, as reported by The Times of Israel, Netanyahu would not agree to end the war in Gaza as part of a potential hostage deal, nor would anything stop Israel from destroying the last remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah.
“The Rafah operation does not depend on anything,” said the source, adding “Prime Minister Netanyahu made this clear to Secretary Blinken.”
In response, Blinken reiterated the Biden Administration’s “clear position on Rafah,” according to the report.
During a news briefing on Tuesday, White House spokesman John F. Kirby emphasized that the US remains opposed to an Israeli strike against Hamas in Rafah without a meaningful plan to protect civilians, which he says has not been presented to the White House.
“As for what is in the public domain coming out of the prime minister’s office, you guys would have to talk to him and his team about that rhetoric and the motivation for it,” he said. “All I can say is we don’t want to see a major ground operation in Rafah. That hasn’t changed.”
The New York Times reports that Israel’s leadership has indicated a willingness to hold off on the invasion if it meant securing the freedom of the hostages seized during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7. They have also suggested that they are prepared to settle for an initial release of fewer hostages than they had been demanding.
