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On June 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the fierce war against the Palestinian Hamas force was coming to an end.
Speaking in an interview with Israel's Channel 14 television, Mr. Netanyahu stated: "The tense phase of the war in Rafah (Gaza) is coming to an end" and Israeli forces are "very close" to ending "the tense phase in the entire Gaza Strip.
However, Mr. Netanyahu said that this does not mean an end to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip and that operations will continue with the fight against Hamas targets.
According to the Israeli Prime Minister, after the end of the “tense phase” in Gaza, “we will continue to advance north”, referring to Israel's warnings about launching a full-scale war against the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said that any deal to secure a ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border, where Israeli and Hezbollah forces have been fighting since October 7 last year, “will have to meet our terms.”
Netanyahu said he would only agree to a deal that would eliminate Hamas's power in Gaza and free some 100 hostages still being held in the Palestinian territories. Hamas has yet to respond to the Israeli leader's statement.
More than eight months into the conflict, Israeli forces are now focusing on the last two areas: Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip and the area around Deir al-Balah in the center of the strip. Residents say Israeli tanks have advanced further west and north of Rafah in recent days. On June 22, Israeli forces bombed several areas, forcing many families from areas designated as humanitarian zones to leave and head north.
