TEL AVIV, April 9. /TASS/. Israel to eliminate all battalions of the radical Palestinian Hamas movement, including those in the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"We will complete the elimination of Hamas's battalions, including in Rafah. No force in the world will stop us," he said while visiting the Tel Hashomer army base.

The prime minister pointed out that "there are many forces trying to do this (stop the Rafah operation - TASS) but it will not help because this enemy (Hamas - TASS), after what it has done, will not do this again."

Netanyahu said on April 8 that the date for the start of the Rafah operation had been set, but did not disclose it. On April 87, the Israeli army has pulled out the 98th Division from Khan Yunis in the southern part of the enclave. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the withdrawal of troops was due to the completion of tasks related to the elimination of Hamas fighters in the city.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.