Israel will soon invade Rafah with or without a hostage deal, Netanyahu says

A Palestinian child cries in a damaged house at the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

Dan Williams and Nidal Al Mughrabi

Israel will carry out an operation against Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah regardless of whether or not a ceasefire and hostage release deal is reached, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

"The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its objectives is out of the question," Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.