Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that if he decides to end the war on Gaza without “an extensive attack on Rafah,” “he will not have a mandate to continue serving as prime minister.”
Netanyahu’s concerns stem from his reliance on a coalition with religious nationalist parties opposed to easing the conflict or conceding to international calls for a political resolution. The Israeli PM was already facing growing strains on his divided coalition after an angry standoff with Washington last month worsened disagreements over proposals to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military.
Right-wing Ben-Gvir’s warning came as Egyptian state-linked media reported that talks in Cairo towards a Gaza truce and hostage release deal have made “significant progress,” more than half a year into the war started by the October 7 attack. “If the Prime Minister decides to end the war without an extensive attack on Rafah in order to defeat Hamas, he will not have a mandate to continue serving as Prime Minister,” Ben-Gvir said in a post on social media platform X.
אם ראש הממשלה יחליט לסיים את המלחמה ללא מתקפה נרחבת על רפיח על מנת להכריע את חמאס, לא יהיה לו מנדט להמשיך לכהן כראש הממשלה.— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) April 8, 2024
City of Rafah — Last spared ground
Israel on Sunday pulled its forces out of the southern Gaza Strip and the main city there, Khan Yunis, allowing large numbers of displaced Palestinians to return to the devastated urban area. However, Israel kept up the pressure, warning that it was ready for future military operations against Hamas in Gaza’s far-southern city of Rafah, the last area so far spared a ground invasion.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stressed that the aim was for Israeli forces “to prepare for future missions, including… in Rafah” on the Egyptian border. Netanyahu, marking half a year of war since the unprecedented attack of October 7, also said Israel was “one step away from victory”. But, as truce talks resumed, Netanyahu also told his cabinet that “Israel is ready for a deal”, adding that “there will be no ceasefire without the return of hostages”.
‘International pressure’
Pressure has mounted on Israel from UN and international stakeholders to end the war which has brought mass civilian casualties and destroyed swathes of the coastal Palestinian territory. Israel’s main ally, diplomatic backer and arms supplier the United States last week demanded a ceasefire and hostage release deal along with ramped-up aid deliveries.
US President Joe Biden sharpened his tone after voicing “outrage” over an Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers from the US-based food charity World Central Kitchen. While Israel and Hamas have kept up bellicose rhetoric, they have also sent negotiators to Cairo, joined by mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
‘Significant progress’
Egyptian state-linked news outlet Al-Qahera reported “significant progress being made on several contentious points of agreement”, citing an unnamed high-ranking Egyptian source. The outlet said Qatari and Hamas delegations had left Cairo and were expected to return “within two days to finalise the terms of the agreement”. US and Israeli delegations were also due to leave the Egyptian capital “in the next few hours” for consultations over the next 48 hours, it added.
Thousands gathered on Sunday in front of Israel’s parliament to demand the return of the hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,175 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Vast areas of Gaza have been turned into a rubble-strewn wasteland, with damage to infrastructure, estimated at $18.5 billion, a World Bank report said.
(With agency inputs)
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