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Picture courtesy: (Getty) An Egyptian soldier standing guard in a watch tower, seen from the Gaza city of Rafah
(The Post News)- Israel’s military announced on Wednesday, May 29, that it has taken control of the whole length of Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Without elaborating, taking hold of the border was a strategic Philadelphia corridor signal that Israel had deepened its attack into southern Gaza.
Palestinians in the border city of Rafah state that there was heavy fighting on Wednesday, which resulted in Israel taking hold of the border.
Israel has in the past claimed that it was carrying out limited operations in eastern Rafah along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Israel’s military had taken over 75% of the buffer zone, including the Gaza-Egypt border, as it pressed ahead with the attack on the southern city of Rafah. Residents of Rafah reported that there had been victims of Israeli air strikes, which included tanks that had mounted raids in the centre and western areas before retreating.
They now seek shelter in makeshift tent camps and other war-ravaged areas, where there are shortages of shelter, food, water, and other essentials for survival. Although the Israeli military is determined to take full control of Rafah, they have already taken control of the land border.
The United States and other allies of Israel have notified the city against a full-fledged attack, arguing that it would cause a humanitarian catastrophe.
The recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on May 24, which called for Israel to immediately cease its military attacks on Rafah, has raised questions about the effectiveness and enforcement of international legal decisions.
Despite the ICJ’s directive, Israel has continued its operations in Rafah, leading to perceptions that the court’s rulings are not being enforced or respected. This situation exposes the challenges in international law, where decisions by bodies like the ICJ often rely on the compliance and cooperation of sovereign states, which can choose to ignore rulings without immediate consequences.
The White House has maintained that despite recent attacks on Rafah, it does not view Israel’s actions as constituting a critical ground operation that would cross a “red line” for President Joe Biden and potentially lead to a shift in U.S. policy. This position suggests that the U.S. continues to support Israel’s right to self-defence while monitoring the situation to ensure it aligns with broader strategic and humanitarian considerations.
Biden in the beginning argued that it would limit weapons supplies to Israel if it attacked Rafah population centers, where civilians were believed to be sheltering. However, that has not prevented Israel from attacking Rafah.
Senior World Health Organization (WHO) authorities were notified that Rafah’s last hospital was barely functional and that an attack by Israeli troops could result in its closure and a considerable increase in deaths.
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official has expected the conflict against Hamas in Gaza to proceed for at least the rest of this year.
The prime minister’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said that the war in Gaza will go on for at least another seven months.
In a separate matter, the tensions between Egypt and Israel have increased since Israeli forces took over the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing point three weeks ago in their attacks against Hamas.
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