The Age & Sydney Morning Herald / Reuters| Bassam Masoud | 17 March 2024
More smoke and mirrors from Netanyahu – pretend to be interested in peace talks whilst murdering more innocents – Mark
Israel has approved a potential assault on the Gazan city of Rafah while also keeping ceasefire hopes alive with plans to send another delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible hostage deal with Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had approved a plan to attack the city on the southern edge of the shattered Palestinian enclave where more than half of its 2.3 million residents are sheltering after months of war.
Global allies and critics have urged Netanyahu to hold off attacking Rafah, fearing mass casualties. Israel says it is one of the last strongholds of Hamas, which it has pledged to eliminate, and that residents will be evacuated.
In Washington, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the United States had not seen the Rafah plan, but would like to. He told a regular briefing a Hamas ceasefire-forhostages proposal was within the bounds of what was possible.
Hamas has presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the US, which includes release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, according to a proposal seen by Reuters.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office said Hamas’ demands for the release of hostages remained unrealistic, but an Israeli delegation would still head to Doha once cabinet had discussed its position.
Negotiators failed this week to reach a ceasefire agreement in time for the Ramadan Muslim holy month. Washington and Arab mediators are still determined to reach a deal to head off an assault on Rafah and let in aid.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri accused Netanyahu of ‘‘manoeuvring … to conduct more crimes of genocide’’.
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