Israel Discharges Reserve Soldiers Designated for Rafah Incursion

Israeli media reported that the Israeli army has discharged dozens of reserve soldiers. It added that the discharged soldiers were assigned to participate in a potential operation in Rafah. The sources did not reveal any new details or a statement regarding the reasons behind the discharge decision. This comes after U.S. and Israeli officials disclosed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that he would not accept an agreement that includes ending the war in the Gaza Strip. During his seventh trip to the Middle East since Hamas's attack on Israel, Blinken met with Netanyahu alone for two and a half hours in his office on Wednesday before his aides joined them. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the evacuation of civilians from Rafah had begun, in preparation for a ground assault on the city, indicating that this would occur even if an agreement were reached between Hamas and Tel Aviv. He stated that Israel would enter Rafah to eliminate Hamas, whether an agreement on prisoners and a ceasefire in Gaza was reached or not. He also remarked, "The idea of ending the war before achieving the objectives is not an option."