Netanyahu rejects US plea to halt Rafah offensive Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sternly rejected the visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's plea not to launch a ground invasion into Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, saying Friday “we will do it alone” if necessary. Whether Netanyahu is pursuing brinkmanship to apply more pressure on Hamas as truce talks continue in Qatar remains unclear, FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris-Trent said, reporting from Jerusalem.