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Israel Determined to Take Rafah
(Reuters) Dan Williams - Israel will take control of Rafah even if it causes a rift with the U.S., a senior Israeli official said on Thursday, describing the Gazan city as a final Hamas bastion harboring a quarter of the group's fighters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to ensure a civilian evacuation and humanitarian aid - measures that top Israeli aides are due to discuss in the White House in the coming days, at the behest of U.S. President Joe Biden. "We're quite confident that we can do this in a way that would be effective - not only militarily, but also on the humanitarian side. And they have less confidence that we can do it," said Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a former ambassador to the U.S. "It will happen even if Israel is forced to fight alone. Even if the entire world turns on Israel, including the United States, we're going to fight until the battle's won." Dermer said leaving the Iran-backed Islamists standing would invite open-ended attacks against Israel from across the region: "And that's why the determination to take them out is so strong, even if it leads to a potential breach with the United States....We're going into Rafah because we have to....and I think what people don't understand is that Oct. 7 is an existential moment for Israel."