The American newspaper The New York Times said today, Monday, April 22, 2024, that Israel has not developed a plan to evacuate civilians from the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, and this will significantly increase the death toll in Gaza.
The newspaper quoted American officials as saying that the agreement would allow Hamas to survive and reshape itself once the fighting in the Gaza Strip stopped, noting that the only way to get Israel to stop the Rafah operation is a deal to release the hostages.
American officials believe that Hamas will remain a force in the Gaza Strip when the fighting ends.
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They explained that the speed of rebuilding the Hamas movement will depend on Israel’s decisions in the following stages of the war and after it, calling on Israel to declare victory over the movement and switch to a different fight targeting its senior leaders.
They said: “Israel did not and cannot destroy Hamas, but it made the possibility of a repeat of the October 7 attack remote.”
The newspaper also quoted Israeli officials as saying that the imminent military operation in the city of Rafah was the only thing that kept Hamas in the prisoner exchange deal negotiations.
Officials pointed out that Hamas and other armed organizations still have many forces above and below the ground.
They explained that crushing Hamas may take years.
An Israeli military intelligence official told the newspaper that between 4 and 5 thousand fighters held out in the northern Gaza Strip.
