On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected ceasefire and hostage release terms proposed by Hamas as strikes continued on Gaza’s southernmost border city of Rafah. Netanyahu called Hamas’s proposal “delusional” and claimed victory is only months away. Before Netanyahu’s rejection of the proposal, intense diplomatic efforts tried to prevent conflict from reaching Rafah, where over a million Palestinians now reside without shelter, food, or medical care. Aid agencies have stated a human catastrophe will occur if the IDF moves troops into the last remaining area of the Gaza Strip unoccupied during the ground offensive. Israeli planes bombed numerous structures in Rafah on Thursday, killing 11, while tanks shelled targets in eastern Rafah. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Hamas’s proposal contained multiple “non-starters,” but he still sees room for future ceasefire negotiations.
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