Israeli invasion of Rafah strategic mistake, Israeli experts say

Posted on April 26, 2024 by uprootedpalestinians

April 25, 2024

Palestinians flee from northern Gaza as Israeli tanks block the Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip on November 24, 2023 (AP)

Numerous Israeli experts have underlined that the potential invasion of Rafah would be a strategic blunder for the Israeli occupation forces as it would leave them defeated in at least one way.

Numerous Israeli experts, comprising former military and security officials, have issued stark warnings against an invasion of Rafah, deeming it a terrible strategic mistake were it to take place, as they underline that such a move would culminate in a staggering defeat for the Israeli occupation forces as the Israeli regime appears hellbent on invading the southernmost region of Gaza.

Reserve Major General Yitzhak Brik contends that Israeli leadership’s fixation on achieving “absolute victory” over Hamas is a delusion detached from reality. Brik asserts that this misguided pursuit could lead the Israeli occupation into another catastrophic outcome akin to Operation al-Aqsa Flood.

He further criticized what he termed the reckless determination of the political and military leadership to salvage their tarnished reputation at any cost, even if it meant risking the Israeli occupation’s security and stability. These “gang members (the political and military leadership) have decided to pay any price to try to salvage their lost honor due to their responsibility and guilt for the grave failure; so much so that they are willing to take actions that amount to gambling on Israel’s existence.”

Former Israeli occupation forces Central Command Commander Reserve Major General Gadi Shamni underlined that “Israel” needed to swiftly pursue a resolution through negotiations, which would include recognizing Hamas’s inevitable dominance in the aftermath of any Israeli withdrawal.

Shamni dismissed the notion of a viable alternative to Hamas and warned against the futility of attempting to confront the Resistance faction militarily.

Strategic ambush awaiting IOF

Another critic of the plan to invade Rafah was Israeli Reserve Major General Israel Ziv, the former chief of the IOF’s Operations Division, who warned that Hamas had a strategically devastating ambush awaiting the Israeli occupation forces in Rafah. “It would end with the [IOF] leaving Rafah with its tail between its legs.”

He cautioned that any ground operation in Rafah carried unprecedented risks, surpassing previous engagements in the Gaza Strip. He cautions against underestimating the resilience of Hamas and anticipates a scenario where the IOF retreats from Rafah, mirroring past withdrawals that allowed Hamas to consolidate its control.

Former commander of the Israeli Air Defense Force Reserve Brigadier General Zvika Haimovich stressed that there was no definitive victory in such conflicts, urging a pragmatic assessment of achievable objectives in order for the IOF not to get too carried away.

Haimovich highlighted the futility of prolonged military engagements, citing recent precedents where temporary gains were swiftly nullified by subsequent escalations.