As the Muslim holiday of Ramadan begins and talks continue about the state of affairs in Rafah, the final stronghold of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the urgency of the situation cannot be overstated. 18 out of the 24 terrorist battalions have been neutralized, with four Hamas battalions concentrated in Rafah, the final stronghold of Hamas and a key area for weapons, money, and even vehicle smuggling through both above-ground and via underground terror tunnels.
The strategic significance of Rafah is undeniable. It serves as Hamas’s gateway to the outside world, providing the necessary resources for the group to sustain its operations and continue to wage war. The only path to victory for Israel in this fight hinges on uprooting Hamas from Rafah, essentially cutting off the oxygen that is enabling Hamas to continue their reign of terror, and to dismantle the operations of their terror organization completely in the southern area of the Gaza strip.
While there is no alternative to a Rafah operation, Israel is simultaneously committed to minimizing civilian casualties in the Rafah region of Gaza. Recently, the IDF presented a plan to the War Cabinet to evacuate the civilian population from this location. Unfortunately we know that Hamas will do everything it can to hinder the evacuation to safety of these civilians and will continue to put innocent lives at risk.
Israel never sought a war. On October 6 we had a ceasefire. On October 7 our communities were invaded and sadistically attacked. Israel was forced into this war. Rockets are still, on an almost daily basis, being fired at our communities, both from the south from Gaza and from the north from Hezbollah. Our innocent men, women and children are still being held hostage in Gaza under appalling conditions, starved, tortured and abused.
While a potential ceasefire deal and the release of hostages is being discussed, it won’t prevent Israel from operating in Rafah. If negotiations are successful, the Rafah operation may be delayed. However, the imperative remains; whether through surrender or military defeat, Hamas strongholds in Rafah must be eliminated.
Calls to forgo Rafah operation are calls for Israel to surrender
Any call from the world’s representatives for Israel to forgo the operation in Rafah amounts to calling for Israel to surrender to Hamas. Leaving operational Hamas terror cells in Rafah guarantees the regrouping of Hamas and its continuation of its brutal, genocidal path. This unquestionably jeopardizes Israel’s security and paves the path to a recurrence of the atrocities witnessed on October 7, as Hamas’s leaders have promised time and again.
This is unthinkable. For Israel, surrendering is not an option. We will never allow our security to be threatened again.
Israel has no choice. Our people have no choice. To decisively win the war and ensure lasting peace, and also to ensure a better life for the people of Gaza, Hamas must be completely demilitarized, and Rafah strongholds must be eradicated to prevent the re-emergence of terrorism and smuggling through Hamas’s elaborate tunnel system under the Philadelphi Corridor. Following this, the entirety of Gaza must be demilitarized completely. Only once this has been achieved can we begin to discuss the day after in Gaza.
We cannot win the war decisively with Hamas remaining operational in any part of Gaza. Rafah is not up for debate, and we will not rest until the full defeat of Hamas.
The writer is currently a Likud MK, and sits on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as well as the Subcommittee for Intelligence and Secret Services. He served as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.