GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 219

Hit Hamas Hard Now

US Offers Intelligence To Stop Rafah Offensive

We read in a report from the Jewish News Syndicate that the United States appears to have intelligence they aren’t sharing with Israel:

The Biden administration will share key intelligence with Israel about the whereabouts of Hamas’s leadership in Gaza if Israel agrees not to go ahead with its military operation in Rafah, according to The Washington Post.

“The Biden administration, working urgently to stave off a full-scale Israeli invasion of Rafah, is offering Israel valuable assistance if it holds back, including sensitive intelligence to help the Israeli military pinpoint the location of Hamas leaders and find the group’s hidden tunnels, according to four people familiar with the U.S. offers,” said the report.

The US is not being shy about their opposition to a Rafah offensive because they are concerned about Israel not evacuating the civilians:

The United States is seeking to delay the operation, concerned that Israel is not doing enough to ensure the safety of the over one million Gazans sheltered in Rafah should a full-scale invasion move forward, according to the sources cited by the Washington Post.

In addition to intelligence, American officials have also offered to help provide Israel with assistance for Rafah evacuees, including “thousands of shelters so Israel can build tent cities—and to help with the construction of delivery systems for food, water and medicine,” the sources said.

Interestingly, the IDF is already doing this and there are pictures showing it if anyone wants to look for them. And the IDF has supplies ready to disperse and it sits because the agencies distributing them are not able to keep up with the amount ready. Clearly this is a mantra meant to stop the offensive and embarrass Israel hoping Israel will slow down their offensive. The article tells us more:

Israel’s military has already evacuated hundreds of thousands of people from eastern Rafah to an expanded humanitarian zone at Al-Mawasi as part of a limited operation in the city that began on May 6. As part of the operation’s initial stage, Israeli forces took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing between the Strip and Egypt.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Saturday night that dozens of terrorists have been killed, underground tunnels uncovered and weapons confiscated during the operation so far, stressing that the activities there “remain limited in scope and focus on tactical advances; tactical adjustments; and military advantages—and have avoided densely populated areas.”

When Biden also went on television to say the US wouldn’t ship weapons to fight in Hamas it upset many who questioned why he also maintains his support of Israel is ironclad, too:

“This may give them encouragement, the enemies of the Jewish people and of the State of Israel,” said Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan.

“If Israel is restricted from entering such an important and central area such as Rafah, where thousands of terrorists, hostages and the leaders of Hamas are still present, how exactly is the goal of destroying Hamas supposed to be achieved?” he continued.

According to Israel, defeating Hamas’s remaining four battalions in Rafah are essential to winning the war and securing the return of the hostages still being held by the terrorist group.

Rep. Ritchie Torres tweeted, “As the leader of the free world, America cannot claim that its commitment to Israel is ‘iron-clad’ and then proceed to withhold aid from Israel. The mixed messaging makes a mockery of our credibility as an ally. No one will take our word seriously.”

As I’ve said repeatedly, Israel needs to go into Rafah if they are going to eliminate Hamas and speaking out of both sides of your mouth isn’t helping. Israel will need to go it alone and this is just more proof of that.

But The IDF Is Getting More Involved

Maybe they are learning from the new tactics Hamas is using to move back into areas the IDF already cleared out because the IDF is bring back more divisions to fight Hamas and Hamas may not be able to push back as we see in an article from The Jerusalem Post:

Hamas is now facing an Israeli offensive in Gaza on three fronts. Two of the fronts are in the north, in Jabalya and Zaytun. A third is in Rafah. For Hamas, which has felt it was winning the war, the multiple fronts it now faces the IDF on may pose a challenge.

So far, Hamas has proven that it can withstand seven months of war and return to control almost ninety percent of Gaza, as well as rebuild its capabilities. Hamas may now be facing a more complex challenge, and despite its propaganda, it could be destabilized by this current round of fighting. It depends a lot on whether Hamas can reconstitute itself in Khan Younis and how it will seek to respond to the opening of new fronts in northern Gaza. Hamas is already showing that it can respond with rocket fire.

A former prime minister questioned why Israel pulled out troops before:

Hamas battalions may be evacuating Rafah and moving back toward Khan Younis. Khan Younis is the hometown of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The fact the IDF left Khan Younis in April has allowed Hamas to return there. Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett noted on X on May 11 that he didn’t “understand why we pulled out division 98 that had been sealing the Hamas fighters trapped in Rafah. Sort of like removing the lid on a can in which they were trapped, allowing them to disperse all across the Gaza Strip.” Hamas may have benefited from this lack of pressure around Rafah, but it will also have to try to deal with the IDF incursions into Jabalya and Zaytun.

Lost in all the talk of the terrorist regrouping to fight again in these areas is that this isn’t the Hamas that started things on October 7th. They may have more in the tank than they used, but Israel also eased up on them, too. This game of cat and mouse is giving Hamas the appearance of new life, but if the IDF hits them on multiple fronts again it very possible they will fold. For now, they need to give the world the appearance of resisting and winning again:

The fact Hamas now has to fight in three areas of Gaza against three IDF divisions is clearly going to be difficult for a terrorist group that has less fighters and less capabilities than in October. It now faces the IDF’s 162nd division in eastern Rafah as well as two IDF reserve brigades in the Netzerim corridor and the IDF’s Nahal brigade in Zaytun as well as the IDF’s 98th division in Jabalya, according to various Israeli reports. Hamas has faced these units before and it has lost. However, the Hamas tactic is to withdraw and disperse its men and wait until the IDF leaves and then re-emerge. Meanwhile Hamas will continue to put out statements to Al-Mayadeen and other outlets highlighting its supposed abilities to continue attacks within Gaza, and also rocket fire at Israeli cities such as Ashkelon, Beersheba and other places.

As we’ve heard from military leaders in Israel complain about this new Hamas strategy, we need to pray that the political games stop and Israel commits to dealing death blows to Hamas once and for all. Hamas could be on the ropes now:

The question is now whether Hamas could be destabilized via this multi-front battle that is unfolding. Hamas has more limited resources than in the past to try to coordinate all these fronts. It relies on local squads and units. But it has to manage a more complex battle against a far superior IDF.

Hit them hard and hit them again and again. Punish them and make them use all their resources. Give them the fight they say they can handle and more. Netanyahu listen to your military leaders and let them do what they’ve been trained to do. I believe that God will support you and bring down not just Hamas, but all the terrorist threats around you.