Despite the partial withdrawal of its troops, Israel’s army makes it clear: the war in the Gaza Strip continues. Is the offensive coming on Rafah or is Prime Minister Netanyahu playing for time? The news at a glance.
As mediators in the Gaza war make a new push for a ceasefire, the Israeli army’s partial withdrawal is fueling speculation about a possible attack on Rafah in the south of the coastal strip. After destroying the military structures of the Islamist Hamas in Khan Yunis, the troops left the long-contested city “to prepare for their future missions, including in Rafah,” said Defense Minister Joav Galant.
This could indicate an imminent agreement in the new negotiations in Cairo on a ceasefire and release of hostages, wrote the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. In that case, there will be no offensive on Rafah for the duration of the ceasefire. But even if there is no agreement, it will almost certainly be a while before Israel’s army moves into Rafah, the newspaper wrote.
Israel’s Chief of General Staff: Far from quitting
Exactly six months after the start of the Gaza war, Israel surprisingly withdrew some of its troops from Khan Yunis on Sunday. Shortly afterwards, according to Israeli media reports, the first Palestinians set out to return there. After months of bombardment and heavy fighting between Israeli troops and fighters from the Islamist Hamas, much of the area is in ruins. Meanwhile, Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi made it clear that an end to the war is far from being in sight. “The war in Gaza continues and we are far from stopping,” Halevi said. High-ranking Hamas officials continued to hide in the sealed-off coastal area. “We’ll get to them sooner or later.”
“We will not leave any Hamas brigades active – in any part of the Gaza Strip,” Halevi said. The time will come when Hamas no longer controls the coastal area and threatens Israel’s security, Defense Minister Galant also said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that an invasion of Rafah and the destruction of the last Hamas battalions remaining there are essential. In the city that borders Egypt, more than a million Palestinians are currently seeking protection from the fighting in a confined space.
Report: No preparation for evacuations in Rafah yet
The US and Germany have repeatedly warned Israel against a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah. US President Joe Biden had made it clear to Netanyahu that an invasion there without first evacuating civilians would be a “red line” for him. Israel’s army announced that it would create “humanitarian islands” for the people of Rafah further north. But there are no preparations for this yet, wrote “Haaretz”. It is also possible that none of these developments will occur in the coming weeks or months. This would only serve one person: Netanyahu, the Israeli newspaper continued.
According to American and Israeli officials, Israel’s prime minister, who is under increasing pressure, believes that a protracted war in the Gaza Strip will increase his chances of remaining in power, the news portal “Axios” also reported. In a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu once again said that Israel was “one step away from total victory.” As long as the war continues, new elections that could deprive Netanyahu of his office are less likely, the Axios report said. “And the more time passes, the more chances he has to recover politically.”
Another mass demonstration in Israel
According to the organizers of the mass demonstration, around 50,000 people took to the streets in Jerusalem again on Sunday evening and chanted calls on Netanyahu and his government to bring home the hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip. The day before, tens of thousands of people demonstrated against Netanyahu’s government in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities. Critics accuse him of neglecting the protection of the Gaza border and of subordinating the country’s interests to his political survival. Demonstrators repeatedly called for his resignation.
Many Israelis continue to struggle with the traumatic aftermath of the October 7 massacre. Terrorists from Hamas and other groups attacked southern Israel that day, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping another 250 as hostages in the Gaza Strip. It was the trigger for the Gaza war. According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian health authority in Gaza, more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks so far, although the figures, which are difficult to independently verify, make no distinction between fighters and civilians.
CIA chief and Hamas representative in Cairo for negotiations
Meanwhile, indirect negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas resumed in Cairo on Sunday. For this purpose, CIA Director William Burns and a delegation from Hamas traveled to the Egyptian capital. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also arrived on Sunday evening. According to Israeli reports, the head of the Israeli foreign secret service Mossad, David Barnea, will also take part. The USA, as Israel’s most important ally, wants to bring about a breakthrough in negotiations that have been stalled for weeks.
Since Israel and Hamas do not speak to each other directly, the USA, Qatar and Egypt act as mediators. During a week-long ceasefire at the end of November last year, Hamas released 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. According to Israeli estimates, almost 100 of the hostages who were kidnapped to Gaza after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 are still alive.
New threats from Iran
Meanwhile, new threats against Israel have emerged from Iran. “The resistance front is ready for all possible retaliation scenarios and no Israeli embassy anywhere in the world is safe from them,” said General Jajhja Rahim-Safawi. He is an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Last week, two Iranian brigadier generals were killed in a rocket attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus. Iran’s leadership blames Israel for the attack and threatened retaliation. Since then, there have been fears of an attack on Israeli or US targets. Both countries are therefore on high alert.