Part 3/13:
Interestingly, Hamas signaled its willingness for a ceasefire shortly after Israel's warnings, accepting the terms to withdraw civilians from Rafa. However, no formal response from Israeli officials has been forthcoming, and the rhetoric from Israel's hardliners suggests that a ceasefire remains unlikely. Prominent voices, such as Shimon Boker, vice chairman of the international arm of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party, have openly called for aggressive action. Boker stated, “We should have gone into Rafa yesterday already… there are no uninvolved civilians, only enemies, and we must kill them before they kill us.” This tough rhetoric indicates that hardline faction influences may push for an escalation rather than a pause.