JERUSALEM/Xinhua
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved this Friday an Israeli Defense Forces plan for the operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and rejected Hamas’ demands for the release of hostages in exchange for prisoners. Palestinians, Netanyahu’s office reported.
In a statement issued after a war cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Hamas’ demands “remain absurd.”
He indicated that Israel will still send delegates to Qatar, an important regional mediator of a diplomatic solution to the fierce conflict in Gaza, to continue truce efforts “once the security cabinet discusses the Israeli position.”
Israel made the decision despite widespread warnings from the international community to avoid further incursions into Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million Palestinian refugees have been seeking shelter since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023.
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