Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for a long-anticipated military operation in the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to his office. Israel’s war against Hamas, which began following Hamas-led massacres in Israel on October 7, started with airstrikes on Gaza and then a ground offensive in the north of the coastal territory. The Israeli army then moved southwards in its attempt to completely eliminate the terrorist group. Netanyahu has said that “total victory” over Hamas is not possible without an operation in Rafah, which lies on the borde…