Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the preparations for an offensive in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip will "take a little time".
In a video address on Wednesday, the head of government said that he had told US President Joe Biden during their last phone call that it was not possible "to complete the victory without the IDF entering Rafah in order to eliminate the remnants of Hamas's battalions."
Netanyahu reiterated that he had already approved the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operational plan for Rafah, "and soon we will also approve the plan to evacuate the civilian population from the battle zones," he said.
Regarding his relationship with Biden, Netanyahu said: "At the beginning, we agreed that Hamas needs to be eliminated. But during the war, it is no secret, there have been disagreements between us on the best way to achieve this goal."
He said he had also agreed to Biden's request to send a delegation to Washington in the coming days. According to media reports, the US intends to present alternatives to a ground offensive.
The US president had asked "to present us with the proposals from his side in the humanitarian sphere, and also on other topics," said Netanyahu.
Sometimes Israel is in agreement with its allies and sometimes not, said Netanyahu. "In the end, we have always done what is vital for our security, and this is what we will do this time as well."
