Israel says hostage deal could help delay Operation Rafah

Israel's foreign minister said Israel could halt plans to attack the Gaza city of Rafah if a hostage deal was reached with Hamas. "Rescuing hostages is our top priority," Israeli Foreign Minister Katz said in an interview with Channel 12 on April 27.

Asked if this included the possibility of delaying its offensive on Rafah, which Israel considers Hamas' last stronghold in Gaza, Katz said yes.

"If an agreement is reached, we will delay pausing the operation," he said.
Katz's comments came as international negotiators pushed for a ceasefire in Gaza after 6 months of fierce fighting. Although Katz is a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, he is not a member of Israel's war cabinet, the group overseeing the campaign in Gaza.

Israel launched its operation in Gaza in response to Hamas' attack on the south of the country in early October 2023. Tel Aviv said Rafah was home to 4 Hamas combat battalions, reinforced with thousands of fighters withdrawing from other parts of Gaza, and they had to defeat these units to win the eventual victory.

But Rafah, a city bordering Egypt, is now a haven for some 1.5 million Palestinians. Many of Israel's allies and the international community have warned that the operation into Rafah would spell disaster for civilians there.

Regarding the latest round of talks still brokered by Egypt and Qatar, an Egyptian official said Israel had added no new conditions for ceasefire talks with Hamas, but was willing to make concessions to reduce the number of hostages to be returned from 40 to 33. Hamas had previously offered to release 20 hostages to reach a ceasefire and was rejected by Israel
The United States joined 17 other countries last week in calling on Hamas to release all Israeli hostages as a way to help end the crisis in Gaza. Hamas wants any ceasefire between the two sides to put a complete end to the current conflict, while Israel wants to pursue the war until it wipes out Hamas. Fullscreen button

Israel estimates that after the November 2023 hostage swap deal, 129 of the roughly 250 people kidnapped by Hamas remain in Gaza. The military said 34 of them died. More than 1,100 people in Israel were killed in a Hamas attack last October. The conflict in the Gaza Strip over the past 6 months has left more than 34,000 people dead, mostly women and children.