Netanyahu Says Rafah Invasion Soon, Biden Wrong

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Getty Images)

By    |   Monday, 11 March 2024 09:11 AM EDT ET

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's forces plan to invade the city of Rafah in southern Gaza despite President Joe Biden claiming that doing so would be crossing "a red line."

In an interview broadcast Saturday, Biden told MSNBC that Netanyahu "must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost" during the Israel-Hamas war, and added an invasion of Rafah would be a "red line" and Israel "cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead."

Netanyahu, though, said he has his own "red line."

"We'll go there [Rafah]. We're not going to leave them," Netanyahu told Axel Springer, Politico's parent company. "You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That Oct. 7 doesn't happen again. Never happens again."

Netanyahu also dismissed calls for a cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began Sunday night, without a significant hostage release deal.

"Without a release, there's not going to be a pause in the fighting," he said.

The war began when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and massacred more than 1,200 Israeli citizens, with another 250 others taken hostage. A U.N. report last week said there were "reasonable grounds" to believe Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists committed rape, "sexualized torture," and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during the surprise attack.

Israel's actions to defend itself during the past five months has resulted in more than 30,000 Palestinians killed, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry, and much of the strip left in ruins.

Netanyahu said at least 13,000 "terrorists" were among Palestinians killed.

With Rafah being a refuge for about half of Gaza's 2.3 million population, relief organizations have warned that an attack on the city, which borders Egypt, would result in many noncombatant casualties.

Despite Biden's words, Netanyahu said his forces' drive into southern Gaza to annihilate Hamas had the unstated support of several Arab leaders.

"They understand that, and even agree with it quietly," Netanyahu told Axel Springer. "They understand Hamas is part of the Iranian terror axis."

The prime minister also said the war cold be nearing its end.

"We've destroyed three-quarters of Hamas' fighting terrorism battalions. And we're close to finishing the last part in warfare," he told Axel Springer. Fighting "would not take more than two months."

"Maybe six weeks, maybe four," he added.

Netanyahu went on to again reject the possibility of a Palestinian state.

"[The Israeli people] also support my position that says that we should resoundingly reject the attempt to ram down our throats a Palestinian state," he said. "That is something that they agree on."

He added that many Europeans say peace must include a two-state solution because "they don't understand that the reason we don't have peace is not because the Palestinians don't have a state. It's because the Jews have a state. And in fact, the Palestinians have not brought themselves to recognize and accept the Jewish state."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's forces plan to invade the city of Rafah in southern Gaza despite President Joe Biden claiming that doing so would be crossing "a red line."
joe biden, benjamin netanyahu, israel, rafah, hamas, civilians, gaza
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Monday, 11 March 2024 09:11 AM
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