Israel Stands Up To The World And Prepares To Invade Rafah

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According to reports there are about two to four Hamas battalions left in all of Gaza and they are in Rafah, the southern most Arab occupied city in the Gaza Strip.

The Rafah operation is said to be the most difficult the IDF has undertaken since the beginning of the Gazan ground war. This is due to a couple of factors. Rafah is in close proximity to the Egyptian border. Egypt has made it clear to Israel that an Israeli invasion of Rafah will put the peace treaty between the two countries in jeopardy. Egypt is concerned about Gazans breaking through the Egypt-Gaza border wall into Egyptian Sinai. This is considered a redline by Egypt’s government and army.

Rafah’s other main challenge is the large population of Arab Gazans who fled there from Northern Gaza at the start of the war. Tent cities have been constructed around Rafah and neighboring areas.

With all of this, Prime Minister Netanyahu has insisted that Israel needs to invade Rafah and finish off the remaining Hamas battalions there as well as narrowing in on Hamas leaders Sinwar and Deif. “Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah are basically saying lose the war. Keep Hamas there.” Netanyahu said on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” Bibi continued by adding: “Victory is within reach. We’re going to do it. We’re going to get the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions and Rafah, which is the last bastion, but we’re going to do it.”

Egypt is said to have moved 40 tanks to the border with Gaza and begun to dig earthworks in preparation in case Gazans began to pour into Egyptian Sinai. To make matters more complicated for both Egypt and Israel, Bedouin tribes in the Sinai claim they will enter the war and attack Israel if the IDF invades Rafah. 

A breakdown of the Egyptian-Israeli Camp David Peace Accords is seen as catastrophic by experts, yet it is precisely the accords that have prevented a real solution for the Gazan population. After all, if Israel still controlled the Sinai – Gazan Arabs could have been voluntarily moved over the decades further south into the Sinai, allowing Israel to apply sovereignty over the Gaza Strip - ending the threat. 

Despite the threats from Egypt concerning this sort of migration, it appears the voluntary transfer of Arab Gazans is the only solution that is workable. With a different administration in the White House, this sort of outcome might have been possible. However, Biden’s team would rather see Israel fail than find a lasting formula for true peace and stability.