Israeli leader Netanyahu orders army to prepare Rafah offensive

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare for an offensive on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip in what Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned would amount to a "prelude to expulsion."

Netanyahu asserted that it is "impossible" to achieve the goal of "eliminating Hamas" by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah.

"It is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat — a combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions," he said in a statement.