Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday justified the potential ground offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah as "essential" for achieving the goals of Israel's war with Palestinian movement Hamas during a meeting with his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte.
"During the meeting, their fourth since the outbreak of the war, Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized that entering Rafah was essential for realizing the goals of the war and that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would be considered an achievement for Hamas," Netanyahu's office said.
The prime ministers also discussed the provision of humanitarian aid to Palestinians, with Netanyahu calling on the Netherlands to join the maritime humanitarian corridor initiative between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip, the office said.
In February, Netanyahu's office said that Israel was preparing to conduct a large-scale operation in Rafah, where, according to Israeli military data, four Hamas battalions remain. The UN and many countries have warned Israel against the move, as more than a million displaced Palestinians are now in the area.
The Dutch prime minister said on Wednesday that the Netherlands, together with partners, will continue to "exert maximum pressure" on Israel to prevent a ground operation in Rafah.
"He [Netanyahu] keeps repeating: 'We are going to do it.' But it has not happened yet. It requires enormous preparation ... In the meantime, we will continue to exert maximum pressure [on Israel] together with the Americans, the British, the Germans and others," Dutch broadcaster NOS quoted Rutte as saying.
Dutch newspaper Volkskrant has reported earlier that 28 former ambassadors had called on Rutte in a joint address to take a tougher stance against Netanyahu's government and "stop indirectly supporting war crimes" of Israeli authorities in Gaza.
While Dutch authorities have repeatedly called on Israel to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible during strikes on Gaza, they have also said Israel has "every right" to defend itself after Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023.
UNRWA Says Its Staff Member Killed in Israeli Strike on Food Distribution Center in Rafah
Meanwhile, at least one employee of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was killed, and 22 others injured in an Israeli strike on a food distribution center in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA said on Wednesday.
"At least one UNRWA staff member was killed and another 22 were injured when Israeli Forces hit a food distribution center in the eastern part of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip," the agency said in a statement.
As many as 165 UNRWA staff members have been killed and over 150 of the agency's facilities have been hit since October 7, 2023, the agency added.
"Today's attack on one of the very few remaining UNRWA distribution centers in the Gaza Strip comes as food supplies are running out, hunger is widespread and, in some areas, turning into famine. Every day, we share the coordinates of all our facilities across the Gaza Strip with parties to the conflict. The Israeli Army received the coordinates including of this facility yesterday," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini was quoted as saying in the statement.
In early February, the Palestinian authorities said the Israeli military had opened fire at a crowd of people in Gaza City waiting to receive humanitarian aid, killing 112 and injuring 760 others. Israel denied the death toll from its shooting was that high and claimed that most of the victims died in a crowd crush as people stormed the trucks loaded with aid. The Israel Defense Forces said its troops opened fire after several Palestinians reportedly approached an IDF tank and troops.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. At least 31,272 people have been killed by Israeli strikes so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.