Bloomberg said that the Israelis are calling on their government to back down from the plan to invade the city of Rafah in Gaza, stressing that the ceasefire and the release of the hostages must be a priority.

According to the agency, the Israelis believe that “Hamas can be neutralized at a later stage by closing the border with Egypt south of the Gaza Strip, which will deprive the movement of the remaining weapons that Israel claims enter Gaza in this way, which will also help protect more than a million Palestinians who were displaced to Rafah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that the only way to defeat Hamas is to send forces to the city of Rafah, as the government says that “between 5,000 and 8,000 fighters, making up 4 Hamas battalions, are holed up there along with leaders and many hostages.”

Netanyahu and his close advisor, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, raised this issue more than once, including during tense consultations with Washington this week, according to Bloomberg.

But following the killing of seven international aid workers in an Israeli raid, and growing global concern about civilian deaths, the spread of disease in Gaza and warnings of famine in the Strip, some have urged a shift.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden said during a phone call with Netanyahu that unless Israel protects civilians, the United States will reconsider its support for the war that has been ongoing for 6 months.

Bloomberg reported that a spokesman for Netanyahu stated, “Tel Aviv takes into account what its allies advise, and will do what is in Israel’s interest.”

The United States is Israel's most important ally and provides a large amount of weapons to Tel Aviv, as the majority of Israelis do not want to see their country's relations with Washington deteriorate as a result of the war.

Amos Yadlin, the former director of military intelligence who advises members of the military cabinet, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, said that despite the importance of defeating those four battalions in Rafah, “the biggest priority is closing the border between the city and Egypt.”

He added: "You can besiege these brigades and do a lot if you really want to end the war and return the hostages," noting that the two goals of the war, which are to weaken Hamas' capabilities so that it cannot repeat what it did again, and to return all the hostages, "can be achieved."

He continued: "Then we can declare victory and begin rebuilding Israel."

Intelligence chiefs from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Israel are expected to meet again in Cairo next week, to advance talks on a 6-week ceasefire, the release of several Palestinian hostages and prisoners, and the delivery of more aid to Gaza.

Although Israel this week opened new border crossings for aid to enter Gaza, the invasion of Rafah is bound to lead to heavy civilian casualties, regardless of how carefully the operation is conducted, according to Bloomberg.

Israel said weeks ago that it was working on finding a way to allow civilians to leave the city before any attack occurred, while US officials rejected the plan as “insufficient.”

The leader of the Israeli National Unity Party, Benny Gantz, who is far ahead of Netanyahu in opinion polls, may be among the officials who support not entering Rafah, as he called this week for elections to be held next September instead of 2026, a proposal that the Prime Minister rejected. Israeli immediately.

In addition to American concerns, Netanyahu is also facing pressure from the Israeli protests in which nearly 100,000 people participated last weekend, including the families of the hostages who called for an agreement to release the kidnapped, considering that he should “take the highest priority instead of... From the war."

According to the American agency, many Israelis "have lost confidence in Netanyahu, and are concerned that he is prolonging the war to remain in power, as he will face investigation and elections, and is unlikely to achieve good results."

"Bloomberg" noted, "Even if Gantz and Eisenkot abandon the Israeli war government, Netanyahu has a strong ruling coalition with partners from the right, who want to carry out the attack on Rafah and could threaten the government if Netanyahu responds to Washington about changing policy."

Bloomberg adds that the military operation in Rafah "is still more likely than not, but the US-led discourse has begun to change."

Source: Sama News