Israeli Army Reiterates: Fighting in Rafah Will Continue Until Hamas is Defeated

Despite the confusion surrounding the "tactical truce" in the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army reiterated its stance that fighting will continue in the city of Rafah. The commander of the Israeli army's southern command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, stated that fighting in the far south of Gaza will persist until Hamas is defeated. He added during a meeting with his forces in Rafah yesterday that "despite the heavy losses, the army's direction is to continue fighting and moving forward," according to a report by the "Times of Israel" today. He told the soldiers: "You are attacking Hamas brigades, and we will continue until we defeat them." Furthermore, Finkelman concluded that the most important thing for the Israeli army to do right now is to continue fighting, while conducting a thorough investigation into the recent incident involving the Tiger armored vehicle, which resulted in the deaths of eight soldiers. These statements came after a state of confusion and ambiguity emerged within Israeli circles yesterday, following the Israeli army's announcement of a temporary halt to operations in the southern district. However, they later clarified in a subsequent statement that fighting would continue in Rafah and would not stop, emphasizing that the matter only pertains to the passage of aid. In recent months, Israel has faced sharp criticism, particularly as UN relief organizations warned of a shortage of medical and food aid throughout the sector, indicating that the specter of hunger looms over parts of Gaza. The intensity of these criticisms has significantly increased since the Israeli military took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, the border with Egypt, which was considered the last outlet for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians trapped in the strip.