‘No force in the world’ to stop Israel from invading Rafah, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that "no force in the world" will prevent his army from invading Rafah in the southern tip of the Gaza Strip.

"We will complete the elimination of the Hamas battalions, including in Rafah," Netanyahu told recruits being drafted to the army's Border Defense Corps.

"No force in the world will stop us. Many forces are trying to do this, but it will not help because this enemy, after what he has done, will not do it again," he added.

Several countries, including the U.S., have urged Israel to abandon plans for a ground attack in Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people have taken refuge in Rafah from Tel Aviv's ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, Netanyahu said there is a defined date that is set for the Israeli army to invade Rafah.

Israel has refused to halt its onslaught on Gaza until the release of more than 130 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

A new round of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel to reach a deal for a prisoner swap and cease-fire in Gaza started in Egypt on Sunday.

Israel has killed more than 33,300 Palestinians since an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Palestinian group Hamas which claimed 1,200 lives.

Much of Gaza's infrastructure has since been destroyed, and 1.9 million of its residents forcibly displaced, leaving them at risk of disease and famine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the ICJ, which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.