As the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas has stalled, the Israeli military forces (IDF) have begun a ground operation in the Rafah governorate (see map below). In parallel, the Gaza Health Ministry has warned that the resumption of fighting is disrupting fuel shipments, posing a critical threat to the collapse of the health system.1Al Arabiya News, ‘Gaza officials warn health system ‘hours from collapse’ due to fuel shortage,’ 13 May 2024
On 6 May, Israeli ground forces advanced into east of Rafah supported by artillery shelling and airstrikes aimed at Hamas infrastructure. Notable locations struck by these airstrikes included the long-closed Yasser Arafat International Airport and the residential areas of Shaukat As Sufi and As-Salam southeast of Rafah. Israeli warplanes also launched attacks on warehouses within the Palestinian side of Rafah crossing amid the movement of troops along the Philadelphi corridor. By the next day, the IDF had captured the Palestinian side of Rafah crossing, located approximately 3.5 kilometers from the Israeli border, and advanced north to take control of Salah ad-Din road west of al-Bayuk area.
On the first day of the operation, Hamas avoided direct confrontations with IDF troops to minimize exposure to Israel’s superior firepower in open areas. From 7 May to 10 May, Hamas engaged in daily armed clashes with Israeli military units positioned near the Rafah crossing and Shaukat As Sufi, southeast of Rafah. A notable incident involved the detonation of a booby-trapped tunnel shaft, which wounded three Israeli soldiers. By 10 May, the armed clashes expanded northeast of Rafah city to include Tabbet Zarei, west of Salah ad-Din road. Since the operation began, the IDF killed nearly 50 Palestinian gunmen while the air forces attacked dozens of Hamas sites and residential buildings.
The Israeli government considers Rafah the last key stronghold of Hamas, which reportedly has four active battalions. Rafah also serves as a critical entry point for arms shipments smuggled into the Gaza Strip from Egypt via the Philadelphi corridor, a 14-kilometer strip along the border. In the meantime, a limited ground operation in Rafah might be intended to pressure Hamas into accepting a hostage deal favorable to Israel. However, a full-scale incursion into populated areas of Rafah would escalate international pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and worsen the humanitarian crisis for about one million displaced Palestinians,2David Gritten, ‘Rafah: UN says 80,000 have fled Gaza city as Israeli strikes intensify,’ BBC, 9 May 2024 especially with Israel controlling the Rafah crossing.
Visuals produced by Ana Marco.
