“Wear down Hamas”
Israel wants to step up its offensive in Rafah
May 16, 2024, 10:11 p.m
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Despite harsh international warnings, the Israeli military is intensifying operations on the ground in Rafah. According to Defense Minister Galant, more soldiers should be sent to fight against the last Hamas units. Meanwhile, Israel and Egypt blame each other.
Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant has announced the deployment of additional troops to Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. His office said he had said the day before during a visit to the southern Gaza border: “More troops will join the ground operation in Rafah.” According to the UN, around 600,000 people have already fled the city on the border with Egypt. Hundreds of targets have already been hit and several tunnels have been destroyed during the operation in Rafah, Galant said. “This activity will be intensified as our forces maneuver in the area.”
For about ten days, despite international warnings, the Israeli army says it has been carrying out “targeted” ground operations and bombing attacks in Rafah, where it has located the last remaining battalions of the radical Islamic Hamas. “Hamas is not an organization that can reorganize, it has no reserve troops, it has no supply reserves and is unable to deal with the terrorists we are targeting. The result is that we are wearing Hamas down.” , said the minister.
Ten days ago, Israel advanced on Rafah from the east despite strong international warnings. Since then, the army has also controlled the Palestinian part of the Gaza border crossing into Egypt. The important border crossing has since been closed to humanitarian aid supplies. Israel and Egypt blame each other for this. Around 1.4 million people were previously staying in Rafah – many of whom had fled the fighting from the north of the Gaza Strip to the south.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz had spoken of the need to “convince Egypt to reopen the Rafah border crossing to enable the transport of international aid to Gaza.” Katz wrote at X: “The world blames Israel for the humanitarian situation, but the key to preventing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza now lies in the hands of our Egyptian friends.” Hamas will not be allowed to control the crossing again.
Egypt: Israel responsible for humanitarian disaster
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Samih Schukri, however, accused Israel of “twisting the facts” and shirking responsibility regarding the situation at the border crossing. “Israel is solely responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe that the Palestinians are currently suffering in the Gaza Strip,” said Schukri. He spoke of Israel’s “desperate attempts” to blame Egypt.
The Kerem Shalom crossing, like the Rafah crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip, remains open despite repeated shelling by Hamas, but according to the UN, not enough aid supplies are reaching the coastal strip.
The UN emergency relief agency OCHA wrote on This has a devastating impact on the approximately 2.2 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. Israel, on the other hand, emphasizes that it is doing everything it can to make it possible for the civilian population to receive aid.