A day after the conversation with US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed the tensions with the US administration regarding the continuation of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
"Already at the beginning we agreed that Hamas should be eliminated. But during the war, it's no secret, we had differences of opinion on the best way to achieve this goal."
"At the beginning of the (war), I told the President: Hamas cannot be defeated without the IDF entering the Gaza Strip. In our last conversation, I told him: It is impossible to complete the victory without the IDF entering Rafah, and this in order to eliminate the rest of the Hamas battalions."
I want you to know that I have already approved the IDF's operational plan, and soon we will also approve the plan to evacuate the civilian population from the battle zones."
"Preparing to enter Rafah"
Netanyahu added: "President Biden, whose support I appreciate, asked to present to us his proposals both in the humanitarian field and on other issues. And as I said - there were times when we agreed with our friends, and there were times when we did not agree with them. In the end, we always did what was essential for our security, and that's what we will do this time as well."
"And while we are preparing to enter Rafah - and it will take some time - we continue to operate with all our might. We continue to operate in Khan Yunis, in the refugee camps in central Gaza, in the elimination and capture of senior Hamas officials as we did in Shifa Hospital, and the elimination of many hundreds of terrorists."