Tense times have arrived! After several days of airstrikes on Rafah, a city in the southern part of Gaza, the Israeli army issued a "decisive battle" notice to "Hamas", and the situation was tense to the extreme. Yes, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict may be about to enter a decisive phase!
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz had pressured Hamas, warning them that if the Israeli hostages were not released before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Israeli army would have to launch a ground offensive in Rafah. Another Israel** even said that even if "Hamas" releases the hostages, the conflict will not stop, because Israel's goal is to completely remove the threat to its security from "Hamas", which requires weakening the combat effectiveness of "Hamas".
Now, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office has even made a statement, declaring that if the Israeli army is unable to eliminate the four "Hamas" combat battalions entrenched in Rafah, then the Israeli army's goal of exterminating "Hamas" will not be achieved. Hamas's security threat to Israel will always exist.
However, the goal of this conflict is not just to free the hostages. Outside analysts believe that the more important goal of Israel's campaign for Rafah is to recapture the "Philadelphia Corridor." The region, located between Egypt and Gaza, has been relatively peaceful during previous conflicts, but it has been the main channel for Hamas to receive ** and support.
The Israeli leadership advocates taking advantage of the situation to regain control of the "Philadelphia Corridor" and bring this strategic location under their control. Therefore, even if "Hamas" releases the hostages, the Israeli army will not stop moving. The Battle of Rafah was almost inevitable.
Once Israeli ground forces enter Rafah, Egypt will bear the brunt of the impact. A United Nations for refugees** warned that it would be a disaster for Egypt to flood with refugees once the battle for Rafah began. Driven and bombed by Israeli forces, Rafah has become a temporary refuge for many refugees in Gaza, with more than 1.4 million refugees now gathering and growing.
Solving the refugee problem is a huge challenge. Even developed countries like the United States and Germany, let alone Egypt, are struggling to cope with the influx of refugees. Egypt has begun to move to build a security zone on the border of the Sinai Peninsula and to establish a refugee-receiving zone, but this is only a temporary measure. If the battle of Rafah breaks out, it could bring more refugees to Egypt than Egypt can handle.
Therefore, if this potential refugee crisis is to be averted, both sides of the conflict must seek a ceasefire. Otherwise, the conflict could turn into a humanitarian catastrophe on a larger scale. Let us pray together that the Palestinians and Israelis can remain calm in this tense situation and find a solution to the problem as soon as possible to avoid the influx of more people and refugees.