Netanyahu promises to attack Rafah “with or without deal.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, threatened on Tuesday to carry out the long-promised attack on Rafah, the southern Gaza city, regardless of Hamas’ reaction to the most recent calls for an end to hostilities and the release of Israeli detainees.

In recent days, there has been a fresh effort by Egypt to restart the discussions between Israel and Hamas, the main Palestinian Islamist party in Gaza, raising hopes that a ceasefire accord may be imminent.

However, Netanyahu said that Israel intends to go forward with the operation to eliminate the last surviving Hamas fighting units in Rafah, where over a million Gaza Palestinians who have been forced from their homes due to Israeli military operations elsewhere since October have sought refuge. This was stated both with and without a compromise.

Prior to dispatching a delegation to Cairo to resume negotiations, a source close to Netanyahu had earlier said that Israel was waiting for Hamas to react to the most recent ceasefire offers put out by Egypt, one of many international mediators.

There has been increasing pressure for an accord to end the conflict that has destroyed Gaza, especially with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken scheduled to come in Tel Aviv after visiting Riyadh to support a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. – News reports

UNRWA chief: look at treatment of Gaza workers

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, urged nations on Tuesday to support an impartial investigation into claims of staff fatalities and detentions as well as property damage when the Israel-Hamas war is resolved.
During the more than seven months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA has accused Israel of targeting its facilities, claiming that more than 160 of its shelters have been damaged and 182 of its employees have died.
Following a briefing of UN members in Geneva, Lazzarini said that he wanted the nations to support an impartial inquiry.