Israeli forces seize Rafah crossing
CAIRO• an Israeli tank brigade seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing Tuesday as ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Israeli foray overnight came after hours of whiplash in the now 7-month-old Israel-hamas war, with the terrorist group saying Monday it accepted an Egyptian-qatari mediated ceasefire proposal. Israel, however, insisted the deal did not meet its core demands.
The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive — if only barely — for a deal to bring at least a pause in the war.
By capturing Rafah, Israel gained full control over the entry and exit of people and goods for the first time since it withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, though it has long maintained a blockade of the coastal enclave in co-operation with Egypt.
The incursion appeared to be short of the full-fledged offensive into Rafah that Israel has planned and might have been a pressure tactic in the ceasefire talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it an “important step” toward dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.
The operation threatens to widen a rift between Israel and its main backer, the United States, which says it is concerned over the fate of 1.3 million Palestinians crammed into Rafah, most of whom have fled fighting elsewhere.
But Netanyahu’s coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he calls off the offensive or makes too many concessions in ceasefire talks.
Israel’s 401st Brigade took “operational control” of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing early Tuesday, the military said. Military footage showed Israeli flags flying from tanks in the area. It also said troops and airstrikes targeted suspected Hamas positions in Rafah.
The military claimed it had intelligence the crossing was “being used for terrorist purposes.” It said Hamas terrorists near the crossing launched a mortar attack that killed four Israeli troops on Sunday and that more mortars were fired from the area on Tuesday.
Palestinians’ cheers of joy over Hamas’s acceptance of the ceasefire turned to fear Tuesday. Families fled Rafah’s eastern neighbourhoods on foot or in vehicles and donkey carts piled with mattresses and supplies. Children watched as parents disassembled tents in the sprawling camps that have filled Rafah for months to move to their next destination — which for many remained uncertain.
Families of the hostages also saw their hope turn to despair. Rotem Cooper, whose 85-year-old father was among scores abducted during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, slammed what he said was the government’s inaction on a deal.