Hamas issues "ultimatum" to Israel

Most Palestinians displaced by fighting in Gaza are taking refuge in the city of Rafah in the south of the strip (Photo: Reuters).

Aqsa TV channel quoted a senior Hamas leader as saying on February 11 that any Israeli ground attack on Rafah would end hostage exchange talks between the two sides.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it had ordered the military to draw up plans to evacuate Rafah and attack four Hamas battalions that Tel Aviv said were deployed there.

Most of the displaced Gaza civilians have taken refuge in Rafah on the border with Egypt.

After fruitless ceasefire talks, Mr Netanyahu this week declared Israeli forces would fight until “total victory”.

The Israeli military had previously asked civilians to move south as Tel Aviv launched an offensive in northern Gaza. However, if Israel continues its assault on Rafah, civilians will have nowhere to go. Humanitarian organizations have warned that many people could die as Israel launches an offensive.

The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched an attack on the Israeli-controlled territory, killing about 1,200 people. According to Israeli statistics, Hamas also took 250 hostages.

According to health authorities in Gaza, Israeli retaliation attacks have killed more than 28,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of them civilians.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has warned Israel against launching attacks on southern Gaza as it would only lead to more civilian deaths.

“An Israeli military offensive on Rafah would be an imminent humanitarian disaster,” Ms. Baerbock wrote. “Israel must defend itself against Hamas, but at the same time must reduce civilian suffering as much as possible.”

Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot called the planned ground offensive in Rafah "unjustifiable" because of the large number of refugees there.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said “more than half of Gaza’s population is in the area”. He called for an “immediate halt” to the fighting and for Hamas to release the remaining hostages.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/hamas-ra-toi-hau-thu-voi-israel-20240211192530116.htm