Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Tuesday to launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering from the 7-month-long war.

Netanyahu said Israel would enter Rafah to destroy Hamas’ battalions there “with or without a deal”. Israel and Hamas are negotiating a ceasefire agreement meant to free hostages and bring some relief to the Palestinians in the besieged enclave.

“The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas’ battalions there — with a deal or without a deal, to achieve total victory,” Netanyahu said in a meeting with families of hostages held by militants in Gaza, according to a statement from his office.

Netanyahu has vowed to achieve “total victory” in the war and has faced pressure from his nationalist governing partners to launch an offensive in Rafah.

Hopes have risen in recent days that the sides could move towards a deal that would avert an Israeli incursion into Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are sheltering.

The international community, including Israel’s top ally, the US, have raised an alarm over the the fate of civilians in Rafah if Israel invades.

Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected stopping the war in return for hostage releases and says an offensive on Rafah is crucial to destroying the militants after their October 7 attacks on Israel triggered the conflict. His government could be threatened if he agrees to a deal.

ICC arrest warrants

Netanyahu said that if the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for government officials on charges related to the conduct of Israel’s war against Hamas it would be a scandal on a historic scale.

Israeli officials have expressed concern in recent days that the ICC is preparing warrants for senior government officials, in what would be the most serious international legal action taken against Israel since the Gaza war erupted in October.

The ICC — which can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide — is investigating Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attack
and Israel’s devastating military assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza, now in its seventh month.