Israeli defence minister tells 'friends and enemies' Israel will achieve war aims

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told Israel's "enemies and friends" on Wednesday that it would do whatever necessary to achieve its war aims in Gaza and the north, in an apparent response to US pressure to halt its operation in Rafah.

The comments, at a ceremony to commemorate Israel's war dead, followed US President Joe Biden's warning that the United States would halt weapons supplies if Israel moved into Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

"I turn to Israel's enemies as well as to our best of friends and say — the State of Israel cannot be subdued," he said, according to remarks released by his office. "We will stand strong, we will achieve our goals — we will hit Hamas, we will hit Hezbollah, and we will achieve security."

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The comments, from one of the war cabinet ministers considered to be most sensitive to the risk of alienating the United States, underlined the scale of the standoff between the Biden administration and the Israeli government.

In a comment on X, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reposted comments from his speech on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

"I say to the world leaders, no pressure, however heavy, no decision by any international forum, will deter Israel from defending itself. If Israel is forced to stand alone, it will do so," Netanyahu said.

Britain's Sky News said a source close to the Israeli leader told the broadcaster that Biden's weapons threat "practically buries a hostage deal at this point".

Israeli tanks seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt earlier this week and are currently probing the outskirts of the nearby city of Rafah.

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