Gaza Offensive on Rafah: Kerem Shalom Intersection Reopened Amid Rising Tensions

A tracked vehicle of the 401st Armored Brigade arrives at the Rafah intersection at first light. The images posted by the IDF show the Israeli flag on the flagpole rising from the newly occupied Palestinian side which immediately closed to the Egyptian-controlled corridor. on the other side and which is only three and a half kilometers from here. Other frames circulated online show another armored vehicle running over and destroying the red sign at the entrance of the city “I love Gaza” filmed by a soldier despite the ban which his leaders imposed. So the aforementioned Rafah operation, feared, discouraged by many international actors, has begun.

Gaza, offensive on Rafah. The Kerem Shalom intersection was reopened

THE HOLY WARS

The charge mentions twenty militiamen killed, three tunnels discovered, and a car bomb detonated before it reached its target. The main office of the city’s local government was hit – Al Jazeera reports. But the most worrying thing is that all the crossings are closed, including the Israeli ones at Erez and Kerem Shalom. From here, through the main artery of Salah el Din (also controlled by the Israeli military), trucks pass with humanitarian aid and fuel which is now enough for one day. “They must reopen as soon as possible” is a request from the United States that does not fail to indicate that it is unhappy to enter the southern end of the Strip where there are one million four hundred thousand full person Several representatives of the Israeli government are quick to describe it as a “limited” military operation and say that they are ready to stop it, “by releasing the enemies as a priority” as a minister and an associated opposition leader to the Benny war cabinet. Gantz says. And Defense Minister Gallant specifies: “The operations will continue until Hamas is destroyed or until the first enemy returns.” We are willing to negotiate to free the abductee.”

This is precisely the reason why Israeli negotiators – the head of the Mossad and the head of the Shin Bet and the head of the Security Council – were sent to Cairo to participate in the negotiations managed by Egypt, Qatar, and the SA, with the mandate to listen, ask questions but not go into the merits of the negotiation.

THE ANSWER

The White House expressed that Israel and Hamas can fill the remaining gaps in the difficult negotiation process. “We will do everything we can to support this process,” concluded National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. But Washington still criticizes the method of execution: the closing of the crossings for the supply of aid by Israel is described as “unacceptable” by the spokeswoman of the White House Karine Jean-Pierre. The choice was voted unanimously by the Netanyahu government (and thus also by the opposition present in the executive group). In fact, according to intelligence, the crossing itself, on the eastern side of the city, would be used for terrorist purposes, as was also confirmed by the number of shots fired by Hamas from the this area last Sunday, killing four soldiers in the Kerem. area of ​​Shalom.

THE GIRLS

The operation, ready for days, was initiated by Hamas’ response to the draft agreement prepared by Egypt and Qatar and practically approved by Israel and the United States. The terrorist group’s political leaders, who live in Doha, had indicated they had accepted the deal, but Israel immediately spoke of a “deception” to delay imminent ground operations and responsibility for the failure to throw away, as he wrote Hamas on Telegram, on «Netanyahu and his extremist government».

In the Kirya Palace, the headquarters of the Israeli military command in the heart of Tel Aviv where the war cabinet met, the four pages that came from Cairo of the document approved by Hamas immediately appeared different in some of the contents which was agreed upon by the Egyptian negotiators. . First, no more than thirty-three hostages to be exchanged in the first phase – and with fixed periods – each with 20 prisoners in Israeli prisons, but the exchange would take place with enemies “dead or alive” (according to rumors the living number would not have exceeded 18). Then the proportion of the exchange changed: the twenty Palestinian prisoners released for each enemy, dead or alive, became 30. The same thing happened to the female soldiers who were released in the first level in exchange for 40 prisoners each, which was in the new version designed by Hamas then instead they became 50. And in the agreement that the jihadist group said they were ready to sign , Israel’s right to veto the names of the prisoners it was supposed to release was not expected.

Netanyahu’s judgment was harsh: “Hamas’ proposal was aimed only at damaging the entrance to Rafah. It didn’t happen. Our goals remain twofold: to return the enemies and eliminate Hamas. We will not accept any proposal that endangers the safety and future of our citizens.”