Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a gathering of Jewish leaders at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, Feb 18, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel would press forward with its military campaign into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amid rising international pressure.

A growing chorus of voices have joined in calls for Israel not to enter Rafah, one of the last relatively safe areas, where 1.5 million people have sought shelter.

Netanyahu's comments came as European Union leaders plan to urge Israel not to launch a ground operation in Rafah, according to draft conclusions of an upcoming summit

"We will finish the job in Rafah while enabling the civilian population to get out of harm's way," Netanyahu said in a video address to a conference of the pro-Israel AIPAC organization in Washington, DC.

Netanyahu's comments came as European Union leaders plan to urge Israel not to launch a ground operation in Rafah, according to draft conclusions of an upcoming summit.

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"The European Council urges the Israeli government to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah, where well over a million Palestinians are currently seeking safety from the fighting and access to humanitarian assistance," according to a draft text of conclusions of a summit seen by Reuters.

The text will require the approval of all the EU's 27 national leaders to be adopted at the summit on March 21 and 22.

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that Netanyahu was "hurting Israel more than helping" by conducting the war in a way contrary to the country's values.

Meanwhile, Israel's top security advisor and the Palestinian intelligence chief have met to discuss the Palestinian Authority's potential role in Gaza's "post-war" management, Israeli state media reported on Tuesday.

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According to Israel's state-owned Kan TV news, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the meeting between the Head of the National Security Council Tzachi Hanegbi and Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Service.

The Israeli Prime Minister's office did not immediately comment on the report.

US officials have suggested that the Palestinian Authority (PA) might take charge of rebuilding the Gaza Strip and governing the coastal enclave, which has been devastated by five-month massive Israeli attacks. However, Netanyahu has expressed opposition to either the PA or Hamas governing the Strip after the conflict, insisting that Israel will retain security control over Gaza.