1LoverofGod
Well-known
(Opinion)
As the IDF deepens its activities in the southern Gaza Strip, the media concentrates on Khan Yunis. Given that the city, the adjacent refugee camp, and its tunnels are perceived as potential strongholds of Hamas leadership and the location where Israeli captives might be held, the focus on Khan Yunis is understandable. However, despite the complexity and the heavy human cost of the fighting in Khan Yunis, Rafah, in particular, appears to be a more complex trap, as the conflict there presents significant challenges in the bilateral, regional, and international arenas.
Since Israel completed its withdrawal from Sinai in 1982, Rafah has been divided between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Even after the Oslo Accords were implemented, Israel continued to control the Rafah crossing and the strip that separates Palestinian territory from Egyptian territory – the "Philadelphi Corridor." This route quickly became a hub for terrorist activities against IDF forces and a conduit for smuggling weapons from Sinai through the tunnels.
Weapon smuggling increased after the disengagement in 2005, and with Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, it became even more rampant. Following "Operation Protective Edge" in 2014, Egypt began taking action against weapon smuggling by demolishing houses on the Egyptian side of Rafah and by flooding the tunnels along the Egyptian border.
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m.jpost.com
As the IDF deepens its activities in the southern Gaza Strip, the media concentrates on Khan Yunis. Given that the city, the adjacent refugee camp, and its tunnels are perceived as potential strongholds of Hamas leadership and the location where Israeli captives might be held, the focus on Khan Yunis is understandable. However, despite the complexity and the heavy human cost of the fighting in Khan Yunis, Rafah, in particular, appears to be a more complex trap, as the conflict there presents significant challenges in the bilateral, regional, and international arenas.
Since Israel completed its withdrawal from Sinai in 1982, Rafah has been divided between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Even after the Oslo Accords were implemented, Israel continued to control the Rafah crossing and the strip that separates Palestinian territory from Egyptian territory – the "Philadelphi Corridor." This route quickly became a hub for terrorist activities against IDF forces and a conduit for smuggling weapons from Sinai through the tunnels.
Weapon smuggling increased after the disengagement in 2005, and with Hamas taking control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, it became even more rampant. Following "Operation Protective Edge" in 2014, Egypt began taking action against weapon smuggling by demolishing houses on the Egyptian side of Rafah and by flooding the tunnels along the Egyptian border.
More
Why Rafah is the city that could lead Israel and Egypt to conflict
Despite the focus on Khan Yunis, Rafah, surprisingly, emerges as a more intricate trap, as the conflict there poses significant challenges on multiple levels.
m.jpost.com
