Our allies “have a weak memory,” and we will attack Rafah

At a time when the Israelis feel that their government is confused in dealing with the issue of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and is running a policy full of contradictions, the extreme right, from inside and outside the government, is demanding that they stop providing this aid, “for fear of saving the Hamas movement,” according to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. What some consider to be adherence to the starvation policy as a weapon of war. The former Commander of the Navy, Major General Eliezer Marom, also attacked the idea of ​​​​establishing a special naval dock for the entry of aid, which is being established by the United States and the UAE, and which has begun operating in recent days.

Marom said that through his 30 years of experience in the Navy, he realizes that this dock aims to “a malicious goal, which is to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip” that has been in place since 2010, as it is part of Israel’s policy to ensure its control over the seas facing Israel from Ras Naqoura to Rafah, as well as In the Red Sea and the Dead Sea.

He added in radio statements on Sunday that he sees this pier as a violation of Israel’s strategic national security. He stressed that talking about Israel’s ability to monitor this aid and secure its maritime route is incorrect and unprofessional, “because Israel cannot provide such protection, and penetrating the route via small boats on the road is possible and self-evident.”

He continued, “Today, Hamas controls 70 percent of the aid entering Gaza. Therefore, the military achievements achieved by the army in destroying the movement, for which its soldiers and officers pay in blood, are lost with the decision to break the siege and provide aid.”

Increasing challenges

Netanyahu’s office had announced that he intends to appoint a special official in his office to assume the task of confronting the increasing challenges facing humanitarian aid distribution operations in the Gaza Strip, so that he will work directly under his supervision to lead these operations. Political sources said that this step comes in the wake of increasing international criticism and pressure from Western countries that expressed concern about a civil catastrophe in Gaza, especially from the United States, which showed strong signs of concern during the past week.

Israel also seeks to improve its international image by facilitating the process of delivering aid, at a time when it faces many challenges due to the chaos resulting from the multiple destinations dropping aid, such as Germany, France, the United States, Morocco, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Netanyahu’s contradictions

These sources said that Netanyahu resorted to this step to repel pressure exerted by the Minister of Defense in his government, Yoav Galant, and the two ministers who are members of the War Command Council, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, in addition to army commanders demanding the involvement of the Palestinian Authority and members of the Fatah organization in distributing Aid in the Gaza Strip, while Netanyahu strongly opposes this idea.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that Netanyahu assigned Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Drimmer to search for solutions to deal with aid through international cooperation as an alternative to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Netanyahu constantly takes contradictory positions in this area, as he approves the army’s plans on the one hand and rejects its recommendations on the other hand. He also submits to his allies on the extreme right and submits once again to American and international pressure. For example, he allows aid convoys to enter Gaza, but he also defends the practices of the army, which shoots hungry and thirsty residents flocking to relief trucks, which has so far caused the death of 440 people, according to Palestinian reports, which called them “the flour martyrs.” .

Insufficient aid

For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in the Palestinian government in Ramallah welcomed all efforts made to bring aid to people in the Gaza Strip. The Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the aid that has arrived is insufficient compared to the huge humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians present in that area, including their need for comprehensive and sustainable relief aid, in addition to their basic humanitarian need for water, medicine, health centers and electricity. They included their families separated due to the forced displacement that Israel imposed on the residents of Gaza after it destroyed large parts of the Strip.

The Foreign Ministry called for the need to open all crossings and the continued flow of aid by land, sea and air, and the need to link the ongoing relief campaigns to a real international effort that leads to an immediate ceasefire “so that the introduction of aid does not fall within any form of Israeli exploitation of it to prolong the war and complete episodes of genocide.” Our people and their displacement, especially since citizens pay with their lives to obtain flour and any other foodstuffs.”

The Ministry stressed the importance of the UN Security Council being bold enough to take a binding UN resolution for an immediate ceasefire, warning against any Israeli plans to create a state of internal chaos in the northern Gaza Strip to push citizens towards displacement from it, and any preparations to expand its aggression in Rafah Governorate due to its dangers. Disastrous to the lives of more than 1.5 million Palestinians who were crammed into a small geographical area, due to the bombing and continuous displacement in a tight circle of death due to the absence of any safe place in the Gaza Strip.