"To this end, we have approved the operational plans for action in Rafah, including advancing the steps to evacuate the civilian population from the combat zones ... We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen," Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu also criticized the growing international pressure on Israeli authorities.
"Instead of pressuring Israel, which is fighting a war, the justice of which is unparalleled, against an enemy of unparalleled brutality, apply your pressure to [Palestinian movement] Hamas," the prime minister said.
On Friday, media reported, citing Netanyahu's office, that the war cabinet had approved the start of a military operation in Rafah and the Israel Defense Forces was preparing to evacuate local civilians. Netanyahu also rejected Hamas' offer to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners and ceasefire, calling the movement's demands "absurd."
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from Gaza and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 31,600 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.