"Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah are basically saying lose the war. Keep Hamas there," Netanyahu said in an interview with ABC News.

However, the Israeli PM claimed that Israel is going to provide safe passage to civilians displaced in Rafah, the southernmost Gaza governorate which was initially designated as a "safe zone" for Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army.

"We're going to do it while providing safe passage for the civilian population so they can leave," Netanyahu said, according to published extracts of the interview.

It remains unclear, however, where the large number of people pressed up against the border with Egypt and sheltering in makeshift tents can go.

When asked, Netanyahu would only say they are "working out a detailed plan."

He has not provided details or a timeline for a ground invasion in Rafah.

Israel’s announcement of its planned attack on Rafah has set off a chorus of concern from world leaders and aid groups.

Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said any Israeli ground offensive on Rafah would have “disastrous consequences,” asserting that Israel aims to eventually force the Palestinians out of their land.

Qatar has also warned of disaster, and Saudi Arabia has warned of very serious repercussions, calling for an urgent UN Security Council meeting.

There is even increasing friction between Netanyahu and the United States, whose officials have said a Rafah invasion with no plan for civilians there would lead to a disaster.

“The people in Gaza cannot disappear into thin air," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on X, adding that an Israeli offensive on Rafah would be a “humanitarian catastrophe in the making."

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell said Israel’s plans are “alarming,” while UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he is "deeply concerned" about the prospective offensive.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), said a major Israeli offensive in Rafah “can only lead to an additional layer of endless tragedy.”

Hamas warned that there could be “tens of thousands” of dead and injured if the Israeli occupation army attacked Rafah. In a statement, the Palestinian resistance movement said that any military action would have catastrophic repercussions.

Israel has carried out airstrikes in Rafah almost daily since the war began, even after telling civilians in recent weeks to seek shelter there from fierce ground combat in Khan Younis, just to the north.

On Sunday, the Palestinian health authorities reported that at least 25 civilians were killed, and dozens more were injured due to the Israeli shelling of a house sheltering displaced people east of Rafah, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

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