IDF Begins Targeted Strikes in Eastern Rafah

By Hamodia Staff

The IDF is carrying out targeted airstrikes against Hamas terrorists in eastern Rafah, the army said Monday night.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has promised a full-scale offensive in Rafah for months, but it is not known at this time how extensive the current operations will be. However, the Prime Minister’s office released a statement shortly before the strikes saying that the War Cabinet had unanimously decided in favor of military operations in Rafah, and evacuation orders were given in certain parts of Rafah earlier Monday.

The U.S’s position is that Israel should hold back on operations in the southern Gaza region until a plan can be put into place to evacuate civilians and minimize casualties.

Netanyahu says the move is crucial to achieving the war’s objectives, namely the dismantling of the remaining Hamas battalions located there and the return of the Israeli hostages held by the terrorists in Gaza.

Earlier Monday, Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt, which Israel refused. A statement from the Prime Minister’s office said that “although the Hamas proposal is far from Israel’s necessary requirements, Israel will send a delegation of working mediators to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement under conditions acceptable to Israel.”

Netanyahu was scheduled to have a phone call with President Joe Biden regarding preparations for Rafah operations, despite Washington’s stern warnings that such a move could harm U.S.-Israel relations.