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IDF's Rafah Operation Unaffected by ICJ, ICC

(JNS) (JNS) Yaakov Lappin - Recent moves by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court at The Hague are having no tangible effect on the Israel Defense Forces' ongoing Gaza operation, aimed at dismantling Hamas's remaining battalions in Rafah. While the courts have signaled a disturbing willingness to cooperate to varying degrees with "lawfare" initiatives against Israeli military actions to defend the country against a genocidal terrorist group, this has had no obvious influence on how the Israeli military - which in any case closely follows the Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC) - is operating. Almost a million Palestinian civilians have complied with the IDF's mass evacuation calls. Israel's approach, moving neighborhood by neighborhood instead of advancing in parallel across multiple sectors, is aimed at effectively targeting Hamas infrastructure while minimizing civilian casualties. A crucial element of the IDF's goal in southern Gaza is gaining and maintaining control over the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip along the Gaza-Egypt border notorious for arms smuggling both above and below ground. According to Israeli estimates, there are 50 cross-border tunnels linking Rafah to Sinai in Egypt. By holding this area, the IDF aims to prevent the flow of weapons into Gaza, thereby weakening Hamas's ability to rebuild its capabilities.
2024-05-30 00:00:00
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