Israel vows action against Hamas in Rafah amid global calls for restraint

Ibrahim Hasouna, center, the sole survivor among his family, sits amidst the debris of his bombed home in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. Picture: AP Photo/Fatima Shbair

Israel will press ahead with an offensive against Hamas in Rafah, the last refuge for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, after allowing civilians to vacate the area, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

The Israeli leader, who is under growing international pressure to hold off on the planned assault, gave no indication as to when the offensive might take place or where the hundreds of thousands of people now crammed into Rafah might go.