The Israeli plan in Rafah is to take over the entire city in stages. Veteran war correspondent Ron Ben-Yishai says the idea is to show the U.S. and other allies that its plan to evacuate Rafah slowly works. Indeed, so far it is working well. After the first few neighborhoods were successfully taken with out major civilian casualties, the next few areas began evacuating yesterday. Rather than using blunt force, the IDF is relying on intelligence to make targeted attacks. Not too different from what the U.S. wants. Yishai reports that the IDF is happy with the results. Simultaneously, the IDF is operating in northern Gaza. The goal there is to “mow the grass” of the terror infrastructure. But more importantly, to prevent Hamas from reestablishing its governance structures. But it’s important to note that this operation has limited aims. Since the government refuses to create an alternative governance structure in Gaza, the IDF can’t control anything. Thru can only keep Hamas off balance. So the idea is to create pressure on Hamas to accept a better deal. Not win the war.
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