© Roger McKinney / USA TODAY NETWORK
Syndication: The News-Leader
(Tel Aviv, Israel) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will go into the southern Gaza city of Rafah with or without a ceasefire deal. In a statement from his office, Netanyahu said it’s out of the question that Israel would halt the war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas before achieving its goals. The Biden administration has asked Israel not to attack Rafah for fear of civilian casualties.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging Hamas to accept Israel’s latest proposal for a ceasefire deal, something he says is very generous. The agreement reportedly includes the release of some of the Israeli hostages, in return Israel will set free thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. There were also be a 40-day pause in fighting. The “New York Times” reports that Israel initially demanded that Hamas release 40 hostages, but lowered that number to 33 believing some of those they want returned may have died in captivity. The second part of the ceasefire deal would include talks about Gaza’s future, post war.
