Netanyahu vows Operation Rafah despite hostage deal, violent election calls for Israel to attack Hamas headquarters in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed its fighter jets struck a Hezbollah rocket launch site and another location in Jabal Blat, Lebanon, on 17 February. The Israel Defense Forces said they carried out a wave of airstrikes against several Hamas command rooms in the central Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put the talks on hold after saying further ceasefire talks were pointless until Hamas changed its “delusional” demands. The Israeli prime minister said that even if a hostage deal was reached, Israeli troops “will enter Rafah” because “a total victory is impossible without destroying the Hamas camp.” Netanyahu rejected for the first time a decision to downgrade Israel’s credit rating and denied that Israel needed elections.Israel’s Minister of National Security said, “The residents of Israel [Palestinian] authority]” should be prohibited from praying on the Temple Mount (Aqsa) during Ramadan.