Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on the US political talk show "Face the Nation" on Sunday to speak about the state of the war in Gaza. He defended his opposition to a cease-fire, saying it would only serve to delay Israel's final push into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
"Unless we have total victory, we can't have peace," said Netanyahu.
"Total victory is important to achieve the war goal of destroying Hamas, releasing the hostages, and ensuring that Gaza doesn't pose a threat. But I think also is essential for any future peaceful Middle East."
Asked by host Margaret Brennan if a six-week cease-fire to facilitate the return of hostages being held by Hamas could present a window to ending the war, Netanyahu pushed back: "Once we begin the Rafah operation, the intense phase of the fighting is weeks away from completion, not months."
"That gets us a real, real distance towards the completion of our victory, and we're not going to give it up," he added. "If we have a deal, it'll be delayed somewhat. But it'll happen. If we don't have a deal, we'll do it anyway. It has to be done. Because total victory is our goal, and total victory is within reach. Not months away, weeks away once we begin the operation."
The prime minister said IDF troops were currently dismantling underground missile production facilities as well as Hamas command headquarters, and said plans were forthcoming as to how Israel intends to get civilians out of Rafah before beginning its operation.
Netanyahu said the 1.4 million Gazans currently estimated to be in Rafah would not be pushed into Egypt, but would be moved north of Rafah — though not to the northern Gaza Strip, where heavy fighting continues.
Lastly, Netanyahu claimed the Israeli people were behind him, despite massive ongoing protests. Instead, he pointed to the support his Gaza plan has received from politicians in the Israeli parliament, or Knesset.
Israel to send delegation to Qatar to negotiate hostage release, cease-fire
Israel's War Cabinet has approved sending a delegation of negotiators to Qatar to continue talks aimed at securing a hostage-release deal and possible cease-fire, officials said Saturday.
The head of Israel's foreign intelligence service, Mossad, and his counterpart at the domestic Shin Bet security service met with mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar in Paris, the AFP news agency reported.
In a televised interview on Saturday night, national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said there was room for a possible agreement after the delegation returned from Paris to gain the Cabinet's approval for further negotiations.
Local media reported that the government had approved a plan to send a delegation to Qatar in the coming days. The objective of this delegation would be to continue negotiations on a weekslong truce and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also mentioned the decision in a post on platform X, even while he planned the ground offensive in Rafah.
"We are working to obtain another outline for the release of our hostages, as well as the completion of the elimination of the Hamas battalions in Rafah," he said. "That is why I sent a delegation to Paris and tonight we will discuss the next steps in the negotiations."
Pressure on Netanyahu and his government has been growing to strike a deal to free the hostages. Thousands have been gathering in Tel Aviv at what has come to be known as "Hostages Square" to demand swifter action.
Famine in Gaza a 'man-made disaster,' says UNRWA
The head of the UN’s Palestinian aid agency UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said Sunday that Gaza faces a "man-made disaster" if organizations are not allowed to deliver humanitarian assistance to the war-torn region.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lazzarini wrote: "The world committed to never let famine happen again. Famine can still be avoided through genuine political will to grant access and protection to meaningful assistance."
UNRWA has regularly warned of looming famine as a result of Israel's Gaza offensive in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks on southern Israel on October 7.
The World Food Program, too, has described "unprecedented levels of desperation" among civilians caught up in the fighting.
Lazzarini said his organization was last able to deliver aid on January 23.
UNRWA has come under international pressure since Israel claimed that a number of its workers participated in Hamas' brutal October attacks, which killed some 1,200 people in Israel.
More than 200 people were also taken hostage in the attack. About half remain in captivity.
The Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, has said 29,692 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its military operation.
There have also been reports of children dying of malnutrition, with Palestinians saying they have been forced to eat rotting corn as well as livestock feed unfit for human consumption in order to survive.
On Sunday, Israel said 245 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza had been inspected and allowed to enter the enclave.
Israeli army presents plan to evacuate civilians in Gaza
The Israeli army has presented a plan to evacuate civilians in the Gaza Strip, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
"The [Israeli army] presented the War Cabinet with a plan for evacuating the population from the areas of fighting in the Gaza Strip, with the upcoming operational plan," it said in a statement.
The statement also said that the war cabinet approved a plan to deliver humanitarian aid safely into the besieged territory.
Further details were not provided, including where the evacuated civilians would go.
The announcement comes as highly criticized plans continue for a new military offensive in the Gaza Strip's southernmost city of Rafah, where around 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge from the fighting.
