Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially set the date for an attack on Rafah. The last remaining Palestinian shelter in Gaza is now set to be invaded in a ground operation by Israel.

In a short video statement on Monday night, the prime minister said that achieving a victory over the militant group Hamas “requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen – there is a date.”

The Israeli ruler is allegedly under pressure both from its close ally the United States, which sees the promised offensive as a major threat to civilians, and from members of his own coalition, who demand military action. Some 1.3 million people, most of them displaced from other parts of the Palestinian enclave, are estimated to be crammed into the city, which is located at Gaza’s border with Egypt.

Israel Approves A “Plan” To Attack Rafah in Gaza

The elimination of Hamas has been the one key goal of West Jerusalem. The militant group, which organized a deadly incursion into southern Israel last October, has been said to be the cause of the war. Netanyahu has previously claimed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “had eliminated 19 out of 24 of the Hamas battalions”.

End of The War? Netanyahu Says “Most” Hamas Battalions In Gaza Have Been Eliminated

Last Sunday, the IDF announced that it was pulling most of its ground forces from the southern part of Gaza. The move will give soldiers rest, in preparation for a future mission in the Rafah area, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said.

US President Joe Biden threatened last Thursday to reconsider Washington’s support for Israel unless it changes its approach. Israel has since reopened a border crossing to allow more aid into Gaza and reported a surge in the number of trucks loaded with crucial supplies entering the blockaded territory, after claiming for months that it was not preventing the flow of aid. –RT

The war is not slowing down but seems to be in a lull at least for now, and until Israel attacks Rafah.