No more than a few minutes had passed Monday night after Hamas' announcement that it would accept the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire, and the celebrations had already begun in the streets of Rafah by Gazans who assumed that this would spare them a close encounter with IDF forces. This is understandable. Those celebrating on the Israeli side, however, who rushed to assume that the Hamas announcement obliges Israel to postpone the entry into Rafah and immediately agree to a cease-fire for several weeks is less understandable.
First, the facts: The proposal that Hamas intends to agree to was not presented to it by the Israeli side, but by the Egyptians – it has already been written here in the past that there are several reasons to doubt their apparent neutrality, and that there are those who estimate that they are afraid of the IDF's entry into Rafah, which would reveal to Israel the number and quality of tunnels built there under the noses of the Egyptians. In Cairo they want to maintain - at least in front of the world - an image of fair and sane mediators, and do not want Israel to be forced to finally understand what they are willing to do to keep the members of the Muslim Brotherhood in their territory quiet.
Even if Israel agrees to discuss the details of the deal, it is highly doubtful whether it will be able to live in peace with its current terms which, in practice, mean the end of the war without any achievement
In addition, beyond the fact that the Egyptian motives for the proposal must be doubted, there is another detail that should not be forgotten in the face of the jubilation and joy in the streets of Rafah and among our commentators and retired generals: Israel has never itself agreed to this proposal, and even if it agrees to discuss its details, it is highly doubtful whether it will be able to live in peace with its current terms which, in practice, mean the end of the war without any achievement, when there is a fear that many of the hostages will remain in the hands of Hamas, and an even greater fear that the terrorist organization's desire to carry out more kidnappings, as well as its ability to do so, will only increase.
Therefore, there is no escaping one simple conclusion: With all due respect to Hamas' agreement to a proposal whose motives are questionable and which Israel has never adopted on its own - the government did well when it announced that the operation in Rafah would be carried out as planned, and acted accordingly. If anything, Hamas' announcement Monday night only strengthened the understanding that military action in Rafah is necessary; It proved that only military pressure can bring Hamas to its knees, and only it can ultimately lead to the return of all the hostages – the living and the dead – and the creation of peace on the southern border.
Postponing entry to Rafah could have been a direct continuation of the policy of concessions and surrender that has failed time and time again for four decades – starting from Oslo, through the disengagement and the Gilad Shalit deal to the concept that brought us October 7.
Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity, someone said. And in the face of the apparently spontaneous protests that erupted last night in Israel following Hamas' announcement, calling for compliance with the proposal for a cease-fire in order to return the hostages, remember once again: Those who oppose a reckless deal and insist on military pressure are the ones who think about the good of the hostages - present and future.
נוה דרומיצילום: איליה מלניקובWe need to continue to fight, also in Rafah, for the hostages, living and dead, and for the safety of all Israeli citizens, especially those who will return to live in the communities near the Gaza border. The threat of kidnapping needs to be removed from the toolbox of the terrorist organizations once and for all, and the way to get there is by turning over every stone in Rafah until all the terrorists are eliminated and until Hamas military power is completely dismantled.
We are allowed to be the strongest. Even in the face of Hamas' announcement, one should stick to the tactics of victory and security.