The Last Kilometer War in Gaza

Today, Israeli forces stand at the last point in southern Gaza, more than three and a half months after beginning their advance from the far north. These forces have passed through, destroying and displacing towns and camps in the strip, from northern Gaza to Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun, and now in Khan Younis. The forces are about to storm the last city, the Palestinian Rafah, adjacent to the border with Egypt. Egypt, in turn, has placed its tanks on high alert and has fortified its borders, fearing that Israeli forces might cross over and pursue Hamas fighters on its territory, as it seeks to prevent a potential influx of one and a half million Palestinian refugees into its borders. This is an extremely difficult situation on all fronts. This is the last kilometer out of the forty-one kilometers that make up the Gaza Strip. There are fears that the bloodiest and most tragic days of the war are still to come; the city has seen more than half of the strip's population gather there, most fleeing the hell of fighting. While the international community urges Israel not to invade Rafah, we know that its forces will enter to end Hamas's authority and impose their conditions. Egypt will not get involved in the war against Israel with American and European support, especially since Hamas initiated it on October 7. Not only does Egypt refuse, but also Hamas's allies; Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, all quickly distanced themselves, and will not be part of its war. Intermediary parties have repeatedly sought the movement to agree to the release of Israeli hostages, withdraw from Gaza, and hand over administration to the Palestinian Authority, but Hamas chose confrontation and fighting. Israel has reached the entrance of Rafah, stating that it will only accept a resolution after the fighting ends. The understanding in Paris involved the leaders of American, Egyptian, Qatari, and Israeli security agencies; a three-phase solution: the first phase involves a temporary ceasefire that may last for a month and a half, and the release of a third of the Israeli hostages—children, women, and the elderly—in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners, agreed upon with the intermediaries. During the ceasefire, more humanitarian aid and mobile hospitals will be allowed to enter. Israel pledged to halt military operations but will continue under the guise of security pursuits. The second phase involves the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for additional Palestinian prisoners. The final phase will entail establishing a governance system in Gaza, likely under the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization, with Hamas and Islamic Jihad exiting the strip. There are no expectations of changing the balance of power in Gaza or hindering arrangements, as Israel has managed over the past months, through a scorched earth policy, to destroy Hamas's network, displace populations, and cut Gaza apart. The Gaza War is the longest and fiercest of the Arab-Palestinian-Israeli wars. The June 1967 War lasted six days, and the October 1973 War lasted twenty days on the Egyptian front. The invasion of Beirut in 1982 lasted seven weeks, and the Hezbollah-Israel war in Lebanon in 2006 lasted five weeks. The previous Gaza War in 2014 lasted fifty days. This war is different; it has resulted in the highest civilian casualties, with around thirty thousand Palestinians killed, as well as more relief workers, paramedics, and journalists than in any previous war with Israel. Official international reactions have been limited. Public reactions have been widespread but remained symbolic. The repercussions of the war are ongoing, with the most concerning for Egypt, which fears that Israel might rid itself of one and a half million Palestinians in the strip by pushing them into its borders, and Israel will not allow them to return. The repercussions have also reached Jordan, where Hamas has tried to rally local forces and push the country into chaos, while Israel, through its media, has been talking about displacing Palestinians across the Jordan River. Jordan is also facing attacks from armed groups across the Syrian border and Iraqi armed factions that continue to threaten entry into Jordan through Anbar. While Hezbollah has declared its opposition to being dragged into the war, Israeli forces have forced its fighters to retreat to the Litani River, threatening to reoccupy the area if their fighters remain. With less than a week left until America's warning to the Yemeni Houthi militia to classify it as terrorist if it does not stop targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and with its forces at the gates of Rafah, it is unpredictable what Israeli forces will do. Prime Minister Netanyahu, for the first time, appears confident and seeks to declare victory in Rafah. Is there another solution aside from war in Rafah? Negotiations could continue, as agreement on a solution seems very close, and Hamas has become closer to accepting an agreement that could spare the lives of the city's residents and announce the end of fighting to save Rafah. However, it does not seem that Netanyahu desires that today; he was willing to accept it weeks ago to avoid losses for his forces, but now he considers it his final battle and aims to stand on the ruins of a destroyed city.