Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told ABC News that “those who say that we shouldn’t enter Rafah under any circumstances are basically saying lose the war – keep Hamas there.”

Speaking in an interview on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” Netanyahu elaborated: “Victory is within reach. We’re going to do it. We’re going to get the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in Rafah, which is the last bastion.”

The last four remaining Hamas battalions are in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, embedded among over a million civilians who fled to the city from other parts of the Strip.

Netanyahu added that Israeli is working on a “detailed plan” to evacuate civilians from the area. “We’re working out a detailed plan to do so,” he said. “And that’s what we’ve done up until now. We’re not cavalier about this. This is part of our war effort – to get civilians out of harm’s way. It’s part of Hamas’s efforts to keep them in harm’s way.

“But we’re going to do it – and I agree with the Americans – we’re going to do it while providing a safe passage for the civilian population so they can leave.”

The Biden administration, along with Egypt and the “international community,” are opposing Israel’s plan for a military operation in Gaza, saying that it will cause a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)