(PatriotSpotlight.org) – Due to his decision to withdraw troops from Khan Yunis, a city located within the southern region of the Gaza Strip, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces intense criticism from other Israeli officials. Among the officials arguing against Netanyahu’s withdrawal from the city is Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, who claims that Netanyahu should begin a new offense against the city of Rafah rather than withdraw from the region entirely.
Ben-Gvir claims that if Netanyahu fails to attack Rafah before signing a cease-fire agreement and ending the war, he’d likely be removed from office due to citizens’ anger regarding Netanyahu’s failure to dismantle Hamas’ headquarters within the city. Rafah remains one of Hamas’s strongholds in the region, with Israel’s military targeting the city due to the militant group’s heightened presence in the city. Ben-Gvir isn’t the only member of Israel’s government criticizing Netanyahu for withdrawing from Khan Yunis, as Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, called for Netanyahu to meet with the country’s national security officials.
According to Smotrich, Netanyahu’s unilateral withdrawal from Khan Yunis violates Israel’s National Security Cabinet’s ability to make wartime decisions, meaning the prime minister abused his power and made decisions without authority. Smotrich claims that Netanyahu withdrew from Khan Yunis due to growing criticisms from other countries, including the United States, which have called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war due to its effect on civilians in the Gaza region.
Netanyahu confirmed that he planned for a military offensive against Hamas’s forces within Rafah, which Smotrich and Ben-Gvir both called for, but hasn’t announced the date of the scheduled operation. Egyptian officials are currently working on presenting a cease-fire agreement for Israel and Hamas, but the militant organization claims it won’t accept any peace deal with Israel despite international intervention. Israeli citizens have also taken to the nation’s streets to call for a cease-fire, but the country’s government remains adamant about a Rafah offensive.
According to Netanyahu, he withdrew Israeli forces from Khan Yunis to prepare for an upcoming military operation, likely referring to an assault on Hamas’s stronghold in Rafah. Netanyahu also said that Israel wouldn’t accept a peace deal if it allowed Hamas to remain in the region, claiming that Israel desires the militant group’s complete extermination. Despite Israel and Hamas’s outspoken opposition to a cease-fire agreement, officials in Cairo are still attempting to create a satisfactory peace agreement for both sides.
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