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Why Israel Plans to Attack Rafah despite U.S. Doubts
(Wall Street Journal) Carrie Keller-Lynn - While the U.S. is trying to dissuade Israel from launching a ground assault on the Gaza city of Rafah, Israel says taking Rafah from Hamas is too important to its strategy for winning the war. Seizing control of Rafah is vital if Israel is to forestall a Hamas-led insurgency in Gaza, said Danny Orbach, a military historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "An insurgency can intensify only when it has safe havens," he said. Israel says Hamas has for years used Rafah and the Gaza-Egypt border zone to smuggle in weapons. U.S. leaders don't understand that after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, the Israeli public strongly supports eliminating the group as a threat, whatever the cost in Israeli and Palestinian lives, said Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli national security adviser. "In the end, we have to go there and destroy the military capability of Hamas in Rafah." Israel has promised it will prepare the evacuation of many of the refugees currently crowded into Rafah before launching a ground assault. IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said earlier this month that Israel would work with its international partners to build "humanitarian enclaves" inside Gaza where refugees evacuated from Rafah can get food, water, shelter and medical treatment. A ground assault against Hamas in Rafah would take place only once those facilities are ready.