Netanyahu says hostage deal will delay Rafah operation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tempered expectations about the timeline of a potential hostage deal with Hamas, while the White House expressed hope for an agreement to take shape in the coming days, Report informs.

“Hamas started out with just crazy demands. It’s too soon to say if they’ve abandoned them,” Netanyahu said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Netanyahu said that while he hopes the hostage deal can come to fruition, Israel is planning military operations in the event that the agreement falls through. He said that the hostage deal, and the accompanying temporary ceasefire, would delay the Rafah attack.

“If we have a deal, it will be delayed somewhat, but it will happen,” Netanyahu said. “If we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it anyway. It has to be done, because total victory is our goal.”