Hamas received Israel's ceasefire proposal. Israel spoke of a “last chance” for negotiations before attacking Rafah. However, the negotiations have met with opposition from far-right Israeli ministers who do not agree to a ceasefire and have warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if he calls off the Rafah offensive, they will bring down the government.
On Sunday, the Times of Israel reported that the heads of Israel's ministries of finance and national security, Bezalel Smotricz and Itamar Ben Gvir, threatened during a meeting of the security council that they could overthrow the government if there was no attack on Rafah. This city is located in the very south of the Gaza Strip and is considered the last stronghold of Hamas.
On Friday, Smotrich referred to negotiations on a possible truce with Hamas and wrote on the X website: “Mr. Prime Minister, it should be absolutely clear – you have no mandate for this! Capitulation to the Nazis is inconsistent with the basic principles of our government.”
See also: Hamas was offered a truce. Israel “gave one last chance” before attacking Rafah
Benjamin NetanyahuABIR SULTAN/EPA/PAP
Israel proposed a truce
Earlier on Friday, Israel declared it was “giving one last chance” to Egypt-moderated negotiations before striking Rafah. The Times of Israel reminds that the international community, including the USA, is definitely against the attack on this city. Washington has been pressuring Israel for months not to decide on a land offensive in Rafah and to choose a more limited military operation.
The invasion threatens to be a humanitarian disaster both because the city is home to approximately one million Palestinians who have fled from other parts of the Strip, and because the lion's share of humanitarian aid reaches the enclave through the local border crossing with Egypt.
Netanyahu announced on April 8 that the Israel Defense Forces (Cahal) would carry out an offensive in Rafah and the date has already been set. Now, however, it looks like the fate of the invasion, or its delay, will depend on the outcome of the truce negotiations, the portal estimates.
Main photo source: ABIR SULTAN/EPA/PAP