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Netanyahu vows to carry out Rafah invasion despite US warning: ‘It will happen. There is a date’

Benjamin Netanyahu insists Israel still plans to attack city, as US urges hostage dealThe Palestinian death toll from the war has passed 33,200, with nearly 76,000 wounded, Gaza’s health ministry said

Rescuers and medics search for bodies inside the damaged Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza after Israeli forces withdrew from the area following a two-week operation. Photo: Reuters

Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians – most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip.

“It will happen. There is a date,” Mr Netanyahu said in a video statement on Monday, without elaborating.