Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed Israel will “stand alone” if it has to, after the US threatened to stop sending some weapons to its ally.
The Israeli prime minister said “we shall fight with our fingernails” if needed “but we have much more than fingernails”.
“And with that strength of spirit, with God’s help, together we shall be victorious,” he added.
His remarks in a video statement came after US President Joe Biden vowed to halt offensive weapons supplies to Israel if it attacks the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
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An unnamed Israeli official earlier said Israel will press ahead with its operation in Rafah and elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.
And chief armed forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel’s military has the munitions it requires for the operations.
Also, the US State Department has said it believes a major offensive in Rafah would weaken Israel’s position in hostage talks.
Washington is discussing with the Israelis amendments to a ceasefire proposal submitted by Hamas, state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, adding they were working to finalise the text of an agreement but that work was “incredibly difficult”.
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli tanks and warplanes have bombarded areas of Rafah on Thursday, according to the same news agency.
Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad also said their fighters fired anti-tank rockets and mortars at Israeli tanks gathered on the eastern outskirts of the city.
Israel claims four battalions of Hamas fighters are hiding in Rafah, where the population has been swelled by hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge from bombardments elsewhere in the Palestinian territory.
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