The operation by Israeli special forces that military officials said freed two hostages early Monday in Rafah was accompanied by a wave of airstrikes that left dozens of Palestinians dead, according to Gaza health officials. The strikes showed the challenges Israel faces should its ground forces invade the bustling southern Gaza city.
Israeli leaders have framed an invasion of Rafah as imperative to achieving their goal of eliminating Hamas. But planning such an operation, in a city where more than 1 million Palestinians have sought refuge, is fraught with complexity and will likely take some time, according to Israeli officials and analysts.
A major challenge for Israeli forces will be how to move the civilians thronging the city out of harm’s way. Many Gazans fled to Rafah on orders from the Israeli military to avoid fighting further north in Gaza, and a chorus of international leaders have expressed concerns that people there have nowhere to go.
The prospect of an attack on Rafah is raising tensions with Egypt, which fears a destabilizing influx of Palestinian refugees across its borders. 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.
And it has added to the differences with the United States, with President Biden warning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in a phone call on Sunday that a ground assault on Rafah must include a plan to protect civilians.
The Biden administration has also expressed concern about fighting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to two Israeli officials familiar with the discussions. An attack during Ramadan – which is expected to begin on March 10, although the timing depends on the sighting of the Moon over Mecca – could be seen as particularly provocative to Muslims in the region and beyond. .
Israeli officials say the military is still working on its plans for an invasion of Rafah and that they have not yet been presented to Mr Netanyahu. Meanwhile, some have struck a defiant tone about the expected attack on a city that officials call Hamas’ last stronghold in Gaza.
“The Rafah operation will happen,” Avi Dichter, a minister from Mr Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party, told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan on Sunday. “It will start and end, just like other places,” he said.
He also rejected the idea that Ramadan should impose any restrictions. “Ramadan is not a month without wars – it never has been,” he said, noting that Egypt launched a war against Israel in 1973 during the holy month.
Yaakov Amidror, a former general and national security adviser, said Israeli officials understand that “Rafa is a complicated issue.” However, he described an invasion as necessary to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions in the city in order to fulfill Israel’s war aims of dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities and its ability to rule Gaza.
“It’s not imminent,” he said of the operation, “but it will have to happen.”
Doing so without evacuating civilians would be “almost impossible,” he added, meaning civilians in Rafah would have to move. Mr Netanyahu said in an interview with ABC News broadcast on Sunday that Israel was “working out a detailed plan” to do so, although he did not elaborate.
Mr. Dichter suggested that Gazans could move to an area west of Rafah along the coast. Mr. Amidror suggested other options, including some areas of central Gaza where the army has yet to operate, or the nearby town of Khan Younis, once Israel ends its campaign there.
Gabby Sobelman contributed to the report.
