Israel's Netanyahu says no power could stop ground attack on Rafah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd L, Rear) speaks with soldiers in a military base outside Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 9, 2024. Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel will launch an offensive against Hamas in Gaza's Rafah and "no power in the world" could prevent it. (Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO/Handout via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel will launch an offensive against Hamas in Gaza's Rafah and "no power in the world" could prevent it.

The Israeli military will "complete the elimination of Hamas battalions, including in Rafah," Netanyahu told newly enlisted soldiers in a military base outside Tel Aviv.

He said that there has been an international effort to prevent the ground attack in the Palestinian city, but "there is no power in the world that could stop us."

He did not specify a date for the attack.

The United Nations and aid experts have repeatedly warned that any military operation in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city where about 1.4 million people have been seeking refuge from bombardments in other areas, will result in an unacceptably high toll on Gaza's civilian population.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses newly enlisted soldiers in a military base outside Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 9, 2024. Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel will launch an offensive against Hamas in Gaza's Rafah and "no power in the world" could prevent it. (Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO/Handout via Xinhua)