Netanyahu insists on Rafah invasion, ‘eliminating’ Hamas after Scholz meeting
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells reporters at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that they had a “very serious and important conversation among friends”. Netanyahu said Scholz emphasised protecting civilians and increasing humanitarian aid during their meeting.
He also claimed his country’s army “has done more to minimise civilian casualties than any other army in modern times” and that Israel is undertaking “unusual efforts to increase aid by land, sea and air”.
This is despite Israel’s killing of over 31,500 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, and UN and Israel allies’ criticism of its restrictions on aid to the besieged enclave where people are dying of Israeli-imposed starvation.
Netanyahu also said “Hamas has to be eliminated” and added he wants to proceed with a ground attack on Rafah after moving the population. The US has demanded that Israel develop a plan to protect civilians in Gaza before it invades if it wishes to have it’s closest ally’s support, however American officials have said as recently as Friday that no such has yet been presented.
“Peace is unsustainable without a strong Israel,” he said. “We want to move peace forward, and for that Israel has to have necessary security responsibility in this tiny area”.
Fuck Scholz, Nicaragua is right in bringing Germany in front of the ICJ for complicity in genocide.
Scholz backs going after Hamas, but calls for more aid to Gaza
In his third visit to Israel as German chancellor and second since October 7, Olaf Scholz said during the press conference with the Israeli prime minister that Israel’s security is “at the centre of all my efforts and thoughts here”. He said his people stand with Israeli “in these dark hours”, insisted on Israel’s “right to defend itself” and called for the release of captives in Gaza.
Scholz spoke of an “extremely high, many will argue much too high” humanitarian cost borne by Palestinians amid Israel’s war, and asked Netanyahu to consider “other ways to achieve” military goals against Hamas. “Much more humanitarian aid is needed, continuously and reliably,” the German chancellor said, also calling for an agreement with Hamas over an exchange of prisoners.
He also demanded that Hezbollah “must withdraw from the border area north of Israel” and warned that a regional military escalation will have unforeseeable consequences. Scholz said the Palestinian Authority “needs to be reformed and strengthened” and also called for a two-state solution that Netanyahu continues to strongly reject.
Israel über alles. Thank you @Bundeskanzler @OlafScholz. You are a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people. Together we spoke about the need to bring the hostages home, as an urgent matter of paramount importance. We spoke about the need to ensure humanitarian aid for the civilian population in… pic.twitter.com/ziVh2828R9
Israeli army chief: ‘Long way to go’ to achieve war goals
Israeli military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi says in a press statement that much has been achieved during a “multi-front and complex war” but it would take time to achieve more. “We still have a long way to go until the war goals are achieved,” he said.
Halevi also said the army continues to plan operations in “areas where we have not yet operated” in a reference to Rafah in southern Gaza, where there are over 1.5 million Palestinians. “The military is preparing for offenses in the additional areas and together with the political echelon we will decide on the timing and the appropriate conditions,” he said.
“We are determined to act wherever Hamas is building its strength. It is wrong to leave Hamas brigades and Hamas battalions functioning.”
EU Commission president: Rafah operation must be avoided at all costs
Speaking in Cairo in a joint press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Ursula von der Leyen says that the EU does not want to see an Israeli invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city.
She said she is “very concerned about the risks a full-scale offensive on Rafah would have on the vulnerable civilian population,” which currently numbers more than 1.5 million. “This needs to be avoided at all costs,” she continued.
She also spoke about the rampant hunger among the population in Gaza, saying that it is “facing famine”, and that this is unacceptable. “It is critical to achieve an agreement on a ceasefire rapidly now that frees the hostages and allows more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza”, she said.
Israel continues to block from getting into the Strip, as thousands of trucks continue to pile up at Egypt’s border with the territory.
