It finally happened: Israel launched its offensive on Rafah. The border crossing between Gaza and Egypt it was attacked in its eastern part during the night, with several victims, and then fell at dawn under the control of the Jewish state on the Strip side. Humanitarian shipments to Palestinian territory were consequently halted.
An announced move, but very risky for Israel and for the entire Middle East. In addition to the escalation with pro-Iranian militias, the already precarious diplomatic system between Tel Aviv and Cairo could be threatened. With the USA which, despite its hegemony, opposed the Israeli military operation without however managing to dissuade Netanyahu.
After threats, Israel attacks Rafah
After threatening him for weeks, fearing the risk to blackmail Hamas over the ceasefire agreement, Israel has therefore decided to proceed with the planned offensive on Rafah. Forces took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing 410th Brigade of the Jewish state. The border crossing with Egypt, less than 3.5 kilometers away, was disconnected from the main road of Salah a-Din in the eastern part of the city, in turn taken by Givati Brigade during the night advance. According to IDF data, around 20 fundamentalist militiamen have been killed and soldiers have located (and destroyed) three “significant” tunnel entrancesas well as having foiled an attack with a car bomb launched towards an Israeli tank.
The first posts published on social media from the Strip showed an armored vehicle next to a sign reading Gaza in English and Hamas border authorities announced the suspension of all border crossings in the area. According to another statement from the Israel Defense Forces, more than 150 militant targets in the Strip were destroyed. A video shows Tel Aviv soldiers waving the national flag at the border as a sign of victory, while the military spokesman assured that the people crowded into the evacuation zone had left, following the announcement made previously.
The IDF troops also stated that they carried out the operation following “intelligence information according to which the crossing itself in the eastern part of the city was used for terrorist purposes“. The military spokesperson explained that “a precise attack was launched during the night anti-terrorism operation to eliminate Hamas militiamen and dismantle their structures in specific areas of the eastern part of Rafah”. The army then recalled that last Sunday “mortar shells were fired from the area of the crossing towards Kerem Shalomkilling 4 soldiers.”
Why Israel decided to advance on Rafah and what happens now
The offensive was launched later the failure of negotiations for a truce, in theory still underway in Cairo, in which Hamas accepted a draft agreement defined as “unacceptable” by the Netanyahu government. The intent of the Palestinian fundamentalists was to pass the Jewish state off again as the real “bad guy” of the war for Gaza, showing its intransigence and contempt for civilian lives. Already at the beginning of February the Israeli army had launched a series of attacks on the city on the border with Egypt, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had defined Rafah as “the last bastion of Hamas” in the Strip. An obstacle to be overcome, and it matters little if hundreds of thousands of displaced people are crowded there. It must be said, however, that the Israeli offensive seems to be proceeding “in small steps” and at a moderate intensitygiven the standards of violence to which we have sadly become accustomed.
In short, the advance on Rafah seems still to be ongoing “demonstrative”, to put pressure on negotiations with Hamas and to relaunch its military power, a true security guarantee for diplomatic relations with Arab and Middle Eastern countries. As mentioned, the move of the Jewish State However, it risks triggering an Egyptian reactionalthough the Tel Aviv troops are careful not to cross the border.
History in the Middle East seems to repeat itself in a tragic way: way back in 1978 the initially divided Rafah was reunited and Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty that effectively established the crossing. The movement of people from the Strip to Egypt remained under Jewish control until 2005, when the last settlers left the territory. Management of the crossing it therefore passed to a coalition composed of Egypt, the Palestinian National Authority and the EU. However, Hamas’s electoral victory in 2006 pushed the European Union to withdraw from the security consortium, leading to a joint decision by Israel and Egypt to completely block the border crossing. The isolation of the Strip became totalcontributing decisively to today’s situation.
The US delays arms sales to Israel
From them, the United States has always said it is against it to the Israeli advance on Rafah, knowing full well the potential risks for the maintenance of the delicate diplomatic balance set up and guaranteed with difficulty by Washington. However, it was not even able to avoid the escalation of attacks in the rest of the Strip, thus contributing to the massacre of Palestinian civilians for international public opinion. A situation for which the USA is paying dearly, as they demonstrate the violent and lacerating popular and university protests throughout much of the American territory.
The growing tension with the Netanyahu government, which however remains “unloadable” by the US apparatus, has pushed the United States to decide to delay the sale of thousands of precision weapons to Israel. This is reported by Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the dossier. According to what was explained, the delayed sale would concern approximately 6,500 direct attack ammunition (Jdam) kits, which allow unguided bombs to be directed at a target. According to American officials, the delay was caused by the fact that the State Department did not inform Congress of the agreement, as he is obliged to do before selling weapons above a certain sum. A congressional source familiar with the arms sales process said the decision was unusual, however, “especially for Israel and especially in times of war.” Putting two and two together, therefore, the real motivations come back to the message of opposition that Washington is sending to the Israeli leaders.
Egypt inaugurates the new Rafah in North Sinai
While Israel decided to advance on Rafah, on the other side of the border Egypt inaugurated New Rafah Cityone of the new cities wanted by the president Abdel Fattah al Sisi in the Sinai and the closest to the border with the Gaza Strip. Just 7 kilometers from the bombed Palestinian border city which risks being the last bastion of the conflict. A move to underline the “difference” with the belligerent Jewish State and the closeness to the Palestinian Arab cause, while remaining above the parties to maintain the decisive negotiating role of mediator between the parties in conflict. But be careful: this is not a new Rafah intended for the displaced people of Gazawhose exodus is among Egypt’s main concerns.
The comparison between the two cities is merciless: the current Rafah is a handkerchief full of civilians and rubble, while the new one glitters with brand new buildings, wide asphalted avenues, schools, hospitals and parks. The governor of the region Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha explains that it is a sort of “compensation for those who have seen their homes damaged or destroyed during the all-out war against ISIS terrorists and beyond”, consumed between 2015 and 2019 (during which they were eliminated 1,500 Hamas tunnels), and also of “a milestone for the development of a territory of which the president said he not wanting to give up even a grain of sand“. This message is addressed to Israel, which historically aims to control Sinai as widely shown in the past.
The Egyptian project goes beyond simple rhetoric and simple window dressing and aims to transform what is a largely desert corner of the world into a “promised land”. Hence the choice to encourage its population, promoting agriculture and offering new apartments equipped with every comfort and service, including a digital network extended to all homes. The new Rafah is currently composed of 42 buildings and 272 apartments built in record time, but the goal is to soon reach a thousand housing units in around 600 buildings. In total the city should reach i 75 thousand inhabitants. Trucks and construction material everywhere, perhaps what the American satellites had mistaken for a hypothetical settlement for displaced Palestinians. None of this, actually. The new Rafah wants to be an Egyptian flag firmly planted on Sinaiin the belief that allowing it forced displacement of the inhabitants of the Strip it would determine the definitive collapse of the Palestinian cause. Not to mention that refugees from Sudan already constitute a great burden for the country, which is struggling to recover from a profound economic crisis.
