Israel begins Rafah offensive after rejecting Hamas ceasefire ploy
By Social Links for Ronny Reyes
Published May 6, 2024, 3:29 p.m. ET
Israel has begun its military operation into Rafah after rejecting Hamas’ cease-fire claim as a deception.
“The IDF is currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza,” the Israel Defense Forces said Monday night local time.
The world’s eyes are now on the southern city in the Gaza Strip, where more than 1 million Palestinians have taken refuge while fleeing war elsewhere in the territory.
President Biden has repeatedly warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to go ahead with the Rafah offensive unless the IDF could secure the safety of the civilians, with the president repeating himself during a call earlier Monday.
“The president was consistent again this morning that we don’t support ground operations in Rafah,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters prior to the advancement.
The announcement came shortly after Israel’s war cabinet unanimously voted to proceed with the attack on Hamas’ final stronghold in an effort to apply military pressure on the terror group, “with the goal of making progress on freeing the hostages and the other war aims,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The prime minister also slammed Hamas’ latest truce officer as “far from Israel’s obligatory demands.”
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https://nypost.com/2024/05/06/world-news/israel-starts-rafah-offensive-dismissing-hamas-ceasefire-claim-as-a-deception/