Netanyahu is pushing to invade Rafah: he would be the only one in the Council against the agreement on the 33 hostages
(Davide Frattini, Jerusalem correspondent) The minister’s car runs a red light because Itamar Ben-Gvir he is in a hurry to get home, there are no operational reasons to break the law, he has already ordered it in the past to the bodyguards who complained to the superiors. The official car hits another, overturns, everyone in hospital with minor injuries. At least part of the government of which the settler leader is a representative is in a (real) hurry. Family pressures are being felt more and more, the slogan “everyone home, everyone now” shouted louder and louder. Because the relatives know it’s there by now shortly after 203 days.
Thus – explains a source on the Channel 12 news – the War Council would be willing to accept the release of 33 hostages instead of the 40 discussed so far in the negotiations: Israeli intelligence itself recognizes that this is it the number of prisoners still alive as regards women, minors, the elderly and the sick. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be the only one to oppose it, the rest of the small cabinet is also considering the release of 20 kidnapped in the first phase in exchange for a short pause in the fighting, Hamas leaders claim they are unable to locate any of them for now others.
The prime minister, however, is in a hurry to give the order the invasion of Rafah, the town in the Strip towards the border with Egypt. “Time is short, this is the last chance for an agreement,” the Israeli mediators told the Egyptian delegation that arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday. While recognizing – Channel 12 always explains – that there has been “progress”. It also confirms it Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor at the White House: «We are renewing our efforts to reach a solution». AND Abbas Kamel, the head of the secret services in Cairoto lead this latest attempt with the support of the Americans: President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi he opposes an offensive that would push the desperation of the Palestinians even further onto his border and would bring the Tsahal tanks – already deployed in dozens in Israel on the other side of Rafah – even closer to his own. A possible agreement on Israeli prisoners – Netanyahu repeats – would not stop the operation.
Analysts speculate that the prime minister wants to be able to do so soon concentrate forces on the northern frontwhere yesterday a civilian working for the army was killed by a rocket fired by Hezbollah.
Washington also remains opposed to the incursion into Rafah, Joe Biden’s advisors expect to see a plan for the evacuation of civiliansone and a half million are crowded into a few square kilometres, they are displaced people from the devastated north, the Palestinians killed in total are almost 35 thousand. The United Nations estimates that there are 37 million tons of rubble in Gaza and that it could take 14 years to remove it.
