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Israeli media reported on the government's insistence on entering the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. Analysts doubted the Israeli army's ability to eliminate the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in a few months, while others saw that a military operation in Rafah motivated by revenge would deepen Israel's isolation internationally.

Kan 11 channel quoted former Israeli occupation army spokesman Ronen Manelis as saying that talk about the possibility of achieving a “decisive victory” in the Gaza Strip is a major deception and an absolute lie, stressing the inability to eliminate Hamas in a few months.

He added in this context, “Israel cannot end the Hamas movement through an operation lasting a few months. This is a lie. Because of this, we will not recover the kidnapped people. Instead of telling the public that the war on Hamas will last from 3 to 5 years, they tell us that all It remains Rafah.”

While Channel 13 political program presenter Rafif Drucker said, “In fact, we are stuck in a strange situation, perhaps linked to partisan politics. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked everything to Rafah and set an equation that equates victory in Rafah with victory in the war, meaning that we must carry out the operation in Rafah.” ".

He wondered, in light of linking the completion of the Rafah operation to the end of the war, whether it was in Netanyahu’s interest to start the operation, because that would mean that the countdown to his political career would begin, and therefore officials in the security services believe that Netanyahu is talking extensively about Rafah, and at the same time wants to postpone it. As much as possible.

In turn, former head of the Israeli National Security Council, Amos Yadlin, believes that if a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire are reached for 45 days, the Israeli army will not enter Rafah, indicating that there is a growing feeling in the world that Israel is seeking revenge through its insistence on this process.

While Channel 12's foreign affairs analyst believes that Israel must refrain from entering Rafah and change its direction in light of growing global, especially European, rejection, Knesset member Almog Cohen called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to issue immediate instructions to the army to enter Rafah, "while they - the resistance elements - are fasting and exhausted."

Source: Al Jazeera