On Monday, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an analysis in which it said that the Israeli army withdrew its forces from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday night without achieving its basic goals, and confirmed that the victory sought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not as close as he describes.
The newspaper added that Israeli soldiers are leaving the southern part of Gaza, and Israel is not much closer to achieving the goals of the war, and must now face more objections from the West.
According to the newspaper, the Israeli army no longer has any ground forces in the southern Gaza Strip. One of the brigade’s combat teams is still in the corridor that separates northern Gaza from southern Gaza. There are a small number of other brigades stationed outside Gaza and will enter as needed.
The Israeli army and Netanyahu are now highlighting the achievements of the Khan Yunis campaign, represented – as they claim – by the destruction of a large part of Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades The military arm of the Islamic Resistance Movement (agitation) in that region, which resulted in the killing of thousands of Hamas members and the attack on leadership positions. This coincides with the publication of statistics for the first six months of the war. (The army believes it killed about 12,000 militants, which seems to be an exaggeration.)
Sinwar and the guest
The newspaper points out that, so far, the two main goals of the Khan Yunis operation have not been achieved. Two senior Hamas officials remain in Gaza, Yahya Al-Sanwar AndMuhammad Al-Deif, are at large. There has also been no breakthrough in the recovery of Israelis detained in Gaza, except for the rescue of two of them in Rafah two months ago.
The newspaper says that the Israeli army and Shin Bet found tunnels in which Sinwar hid during the war. In those tunnels, they found Hamas’s leadership centers, Sinwar’s personal documents, and equipment. Since then, it appears that he has been moving between other hideouts in his deep underground complex in Khan Yunis, according to the newspaper.
The newspaper believes that it is still possible for there to be a breakthrough in rescuing detainees in Gaza, but the public must be told the truth, which is that Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities are gradually deteriorating, but the movement is not on the verge of defeat. “We are not one step away from victory,” Netanyahu claimed again last Sunday without any basis in reality, much to the dismay of officers and soldiers who, regardless of their political views, can detect deception, the newspaper said.
3 scenarios
Where do we go from here? There are 3 possible scenarios: First, further escalation with Iran and Hezbollah due to Tehran’s response to the assassination of leaders and advisors in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Second, unexpected progress in negotiations with Hamas regarding the hostage deal, and third, a new military operation in Rafah (or, alternatively, in some refugee camps in central Gaza).
In addition to complete victory, Netanyahu repeatedly promised to invade Rafah. Initial preparations for this have already been made, but it will require mobilizing forces in southern Gaza again and, above all, completing a plan to evacuate the huge number of civilians, some 1.4 million people, now crowded into the city.
During the last half of the year, Israeli forces forcibly evacuated most of the residents of northern Gaza, and then Khan Yunis to the south. Its withdrawal from Khan Yunis will enable civilians to move north again to that city. However, Israel does not appear to be taking the change in Western attitudes towards a possible invasion of Rafah seriously. The Biden administration no longer hesitates to publicly express its opposition.
During the past two weeks, senior Israeli and American officials spoke about the Israeli army’s plans regarding Rafah. Possible understandings were discussed in a conversation with Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
Haaretz says that the West’s objections do not stem solely from concerns about the residents of Rafah. There is also growing criticism of Israel’s humanitarian aid policy and the harm it is causing to the people of Gaza. While Israel officially denies the existence of famine in Gaza, the international community is growing concerned.
The strike launched by a drone last week on a relief convoy belonging to the Central World Kitchen organization, which resulted in the killing of 7 foreign employees, will put more pressure on Israel to remove obstacles preventing the distribution of aid. Once the construction of the American pier south of Gaza City is completed, the plan is to send approximately two million meals a day to Gaza via this route.