The long-awaited IDF invasion of Rafah, Hamas’s last remaining stronghold in Gaza, appears to be underway. IDF jets have begun carrying out intense bombing raids on terrorist infrastructure in the city, and a column of Israeli tanks are reported to be raiding the eastern side of the city.

In a statement, the IDF said: “IDF forces are now attacking and operating against the targets of the terrorist organization Hamas in a targeted manner in eastern Rafah. More details to come.”

The invasion comes shortly after Hamas claimed to have accepted a ceasefire deal – a deal that Israel had never proposed or agreed to. The move by Hamas was almost certainly intended to give the world the impression that Israel was rejecting peace, while the murderous terrorists were embracing it.

An Israeli security source told the Jerusalem Post that the “deal” Hamas said it had agreed to enter didn’t even exist.

“This so-called ‘deal’ is proof that we’ve just started to apply pressure [on Hamas] by promoting a ground entrance to Rafah, and we suddenly received a green light from Hamas for a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire,” the source said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said the the invasion of Rafah is “in order to apply military pressure on Hamas, with the goal of making progress on freeing the hostages and the other war aims,” and that Hamas’s latest truce offer is “far from Israel’s obligatory demands.”

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke to President Joe Biden earlier in the day, with the latter attempting to stave off the IDF invasion into Rafah – which Netanyahu has consistently insisted would occur “with or without a hostage deal.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)