Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated on Sunday, June 23, that he was ending the intense fight in southern Gaza city Rafah.
According to CNN, Netanyahu, in his first one-on-one interview with the Israeli media, Channel 14 Television, since October 7, 2023, announced that the ‘intense phase of the war with Hamas (in Gaza) is about to end.’
He further added, “It doesn’t mean that the war is going to end, but the war in its current stage is going to end in Rafah. This is true. We will continue mowing the grass later.”
Netanyahu also proclaims to shift the Israeli military’s focus to its northern border with Lebanon, where fighting with Hezbollah has intensified in recent weeks.
Moreover, the Israeli Primer while rejecting the idea of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority running Gaza in place of Hamas, said, “In the end, you will have to do two things: you will need the ongoing military demilitarisation by the Israel Defence Forces, and you will need to establish a civil administration. I hope that with the support and management of certain countries in the region, I think this is the right way to move forward.”
"I'll tell you what I'm not ready to do, I'm not ready to establish a Palestinian state there, I'm not ready to hand it over to the Palestinian Authority. I'm not ready to do that,” he added.
Netanyahu once again vowed to continue the war until the goal of eliminating Hamas is achieved.
