Israel plans to begin an offensive in Rafah, the southern most city in the Gaza Strip that borders with Egypt, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "especially alarmed" by reports of a possible offensive there.
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"Such an action would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences," Guterres told the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, as he again called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages.
“We are continuing this operation, and we will also reach the places where we have not yet fought in the central and southern strip, and especially the last center of gravity left in Hamas hands—Rafah,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said.
Israeli officials added that Israel is working to differentiate between Hamas infrastructure in Rafah and the civilian population there. They said that the war with Hamas cannot be concluded without dismantling its smuggling infrastructure in Rafah.
According to the paper, an Egyptian official said Israel told Egypt there are at least 12 tunnels left between Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula.
“Without finishing [with an operation] in Rafah, it’s impossible to talk about changing the reality with Gaza,” said Michael Milshtein, a former head of Palestinian affairs for Israeli military intelligence. Leaving Rafah an open gate between the world and Gaza means that Hamas immediately will start reconstruction of its military capacities,” he said.
However, the operation in the densely populated refuge city poses numerous challenges, and it is expected to be the most complicated yet. The IDF has not yet completed its activities in Khan Younis, and experts interviewed by the newspaper estimated that the operations in Rafah are not expected to commence immediately.
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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a situation assessment in Khan Younis
(Photo: Shahar Yurman)
The operation in Rafah also raises concerns regarding relations with Egypt, which has repeatedly expressed opposition to Israeli activity near its borders. According to recent reports, after Israel informed Egypt of its plans to operate in Rafah, Cairo officials threatened that if Palestinians were "forced" to cross into Sinai, the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt would be suspended.
Egypt, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, was strengthening its border with the strip out of concern that Palestinian masses may cross into its territory. Among other measures, Egypt was installing cameras, observation posts, and sensors there.
A possible military operation in Rafah was also addressed by an Egyptian source quoted in this morning's report in the Qatari newspaper "Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed". The source assessed that the likelihood of an operation there is low: "At least according to the perception presented by Israel , it will be difficult and would be unacceptable to Cairo or Washington," he said.