Defeat Hamas it will not be so immediate and will not be resolved with the much disputed military operation a Rafah. The conflict will continue for at least another year. The words of the Israeli military spokesman, Daniel Hagariwho spoke to the newspaper Yedioth Ahronotdistort the interpretation of the conflict given to date by government leaders Netanyahu. If the executive has always declared that any hesitation, any truce, any doubt about ground attacks in the cities of the Strip would have favored the armed Palestinian party, preventing its cancellation from the face of the earth, Hagari outlines a very different, and perhaps more realistic, in which the Islamist formation will continue to exist regardless of the massacres underway in the Palestinian enclave.
“We will not deceive public opinion – he declared – Even after we have taken care of Rafah there will be terrorism. Hamas will move north and reorganize.” And he added that theIdf he “presented a plan to the government for fighting in Gaza expected to last a year. Gaza is perhaps one of the most difficult theaters in the world, overcrowded and full of tunnels. We are facing difficult years and we will have to explain it both internally and externally.”
His words, however, disavow those of the executive who justified its military actions in the Strip with the need for an immediate and as intense war as possible, stating that they were the necessary means to “root out Hamas” and delete it forever. Today, with this campaign coming to an end, according to the initial promises, with the offensive on Rafah, very different indications are coming from the military which, among other things, would contribute to extend life of a fixed-term government and bound to the duration of the ongoing conflict.
The statements of the Israeli Foreign Minister also distance the hypothesis of a peace table between the parties, Israel Katz. Not something new, but a way to remember that Netanyahu’s diplomatic line is not in question: “Recognizing one Palestinian state after October 7th means reward Hamas which killed over a thousand Israelis. It means giving a prize to Iranian regime. It means living with the possibility of another October 7th.” According to Katz, the only way to “promote peace is through direct negotiations within a peace process regional normalization“.
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD – Thus, the military operation continues, with the tanks of the Israeli Security Forces (IDF) who have been at the gates of Rafah since Tuesday, ready to enter the last city in the extreme south of the Strip. Both Israeli and Hamas sources report that they have been ongoing throughout the morning on Wednesday violent fighting with the militiamen of the formation that governs the Strip, with Tel Aviv claiming to have killed several armed men and having located other tunnels.
Despite the commitment of the militiamen to the defense of the city, Israel fears that some of them could be used to launch other attacks on the soil of the ‘Jewish state‘. So, with tensions rising, they mandated that agricultural work near the security fence with Gaza should not be carried out on Wednesday for “a security assessment. Outdoor activities in communities near the Strip from 0 to 4 kilometers from the border must have a permit from the Regional Brigade.”
TALKS RESUME IN CAIRO – However, the attempt to reach an agreement at least for one is not abandoned cease-fire as long-lasting as possible in Gaza and the liberation of the last hostages remained in the hands of the Palestinian party. The negotiations in Cairo have resumed, but this time, together with Hamas and the negotiators of Qatar ed Egypt, a delegation from Israel will also sit at the table. For the occasion, the director of the CIA flew to Tel Aviv, William Burnsto speak directly with Prime Minister Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials and try to find common ground on the talks in Cairo.
RIAPRE KEREM SHALOM – However, some positive news is the reopening of the valley of Kerem Shalom which connects the Strip to Israel. The closure of Rafah, due to the blockade imposed by the Tel Aviv tanks, and the passage of Erezin addition to that of Kerem Shalom, had raised the fears of the international community for the isolation of the Strip and the impossibility of transferring aid to the civilian population. “Truck from Egypt with humanitarian aid donated by the international community – announced the It forces, the Coordination Center for Israeli activities in the Territories – are already arriving at the crossing. After security inspections they will be transferred to the Gaza side of the crossing.” Cogat then underlined that “in parallel with the reopening of Kerem Shalom, the Erez crossing continues to operate to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip following security checks in Israel, as it did while the Kerem Shalom was closed due to attacks by the terrorist organization Hamas.”