Israel willing to invade Rafah without hostage deal: Netanyahu

(NewsNation) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday morning to launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering from the war with Hamas.

Netanyahu said Israel would enter Rafah to destroy Hamas’ battalions there “with or without a deal.” Israel and Hamas are negotiating a cease-fire agreement meant to free hostages and bring some relief to the Palestinians in the besieged enclave.

A potential timeline is unclear.

The Biden administration has asked Netanyahu to hold off on invading Rafah — at least until a plan is in place to protect civilians and deliver humanitarian aid.

This morning, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said Israeli officials understand their concern.

Israel’s prime minister, however, vowed to move forward with his long-promised assault on Rafah — with or without a cease-fire or hostage deal.

It’s unclear how that could complicate negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Jordan Tuesday to work on delivering more aid to Gaza. He’s been overseas working to hash out a deal.

Blinken on Monday called the deal before Hamas an extraordinarily generous deal on the part of Israel.

Biden spoke on the phone with the amir of Qatar and the president of Egypt Monday about a potential cease-fire and hostage agreement.

President Biden additionally spoke with Netanyahu on Sunday about the hostage deal, cease-fire and potential Rafah operation.

 “There is a deal on the table, and they need to take it,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “We believe that all efforts need to be brought to bear to convince Hamas to accept the proposal immediately.”

The U.S. is working to get more aid into Gaza. The long-awaited humanitarian pier that Biden promised in his State of the Union address is now under construction. It’s set to cost $320 million, and Israel is expected to provide security.

There were no injuries in a recent mortar attack at the port site.

Hamas has said it would reject the presence of any non-Palestinians in Gaza, but no militant group immediately claimed responsibility.

The White House is still planning on an in-person meeting with Israeli officials to discuss Rafah operations.

So far, they have had two virtual meetings on the matter, which Jean-Pierre called “productive.”

They have yet to see a credible Rafah plan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.