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Israeli leaders have framed an invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah as an imperative to achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas. But it\u2019s a strategy that is fraught with complexity and is generating criticism over the potentially catastrophic impact such an operation would have on the more than 1 million Gazans sheltering there.<\/p>\n
The planning will likely take Israel\u2019s military some time, Israeli officials and analysts said on Sunday. A major challenge for Israeli forces will be how to move civilians who have crowded into the city out of harm\u2019s way. Many Gazans fled to Rafah on the instructions of the Israeli military to avoid the fighting farther north in Gaza, and a chorus of international leaders have expressed concerns that the people there have nowhere to go.<\/p>\n
The prospect of an assault on Rafah is creating tensions with Egypt, which fears a destabilizing influx of Palestinian refugees across its border. Egypt is an important strategic partner for Israel in the region and has played a key role in negotiations aimed at securing the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.<\/p>\n
The Biden administration has also raised concern over an assault coinciding with the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, according to reports in Israeli media<\/a>. An attack during Ramadan \u2014 which is expected to start March 10, though the timing depends on the sighting of the moon over Mecca \u2014 could be viewed as particularly provocative and whip up emotions among Muslims in the region and beyond.<\/p>\n Israeli officials say the military is still working on its plans for invading Rafah and that they have not yet been presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the meantime, some have struck a defiant tone about the anticipated assault on a city that officials have called the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe operation in Rafah will happen,\u201d Avi Dichter, a minister from Mr. Netanyahu\u2019s conservative Likud party, told Israel\u2019s public broadcaster, Kan, on Sunday. \u201cIt will begin and it will end, just like in other places,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He also dismissed the idea that Ramadan should pose any constraints. \u201cRamadan is not a month without wars \u2014 it never was,\u201d he said, noting that Egypt went to war against Israel in 1973 during Ramadan.<\/p>\n Israeli officials and analysts say Israel is acutely aware of the difficulties of mounting an intensive campaign in Rafah.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael understands that Rafah is a complex issue,\u201d said Yaakov Amidror, a former general and national security adviser. \u201cIt is not imminent,\u201d he said of the operation, \u201cbut it will have to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Amidror, now a fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, a conservative think tank, said that for Israel to fulfill its war goals of dismantling Hamas\u2019s military capabilities and its ability to govern, the military \u201cmust go into Rafah\u201d to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there.<\/p>\n But given the population density right now, the Israeli authorities understand that doing so without evacuating civilians would be \u201calmost impossible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n That means civilians in Rafah will need to be moved \u2014 and Mr. Netanyahu said in an interview<\/a> with ABC News that Israel was \u201cworking out a detailed plan\u201d<\/a> to do so.<\/p>\n He did not provide details on where and how that might take place. Mr. Dichter suggested that Gazans could be moved to an area to the west of Rafah along the seashore. Mr. Amidror suggested other options, including some areas of central Gaza where the military has not yet operated, or the nearby city of Khan Younis, once Israel winds down its campaign there. <\/p>\n Gabby Sobelman contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n