Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spurned a plea from Joe Biden to call off a planned ground assault of Rafah, the last refuge in Gaza for more than a million displaced people, where Israel believes Hamas terrorists are holed up. Netanyahu told lawmakers on Tuesday he had made it “supremely clear” to the U.S. president “that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah, and there’s no way to do that except by going in on the ground”. The two leaders spoke by phone on Monday. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington believed a ground assault on Rafah would be a “mistake” and that Israel could achieve its military aims by other means. Washington has launched a new diplomatic push for a ceasefire in the nearly six-month-old war to free hostages and bring in food aid to stave off famine. Read more at https://nypost.com/2024/03/19/world-news/netanyahu-says-israel-determined-to-carry-out-ground-operation-in-rafah-despite-biden-plea/ #benjaminnetanyahu #rafah #israel #gaza #joebiden #hamas The New York Post is your source for breaking news, news about New York, sports, business, entertainment, opinion, real estate, culture, fashion, and more. Subscribe to New York Post Sports: https://www.youtube.com/c/nypostsports Catch the latest news here: https://nypost.com/ Follow The New York Post on: Twitter - https://twitter.com/nypost Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NYPost