An Israeli strike killed dozens of people sheltering in the city of Rafah on Sunday evening. The strike hit an area that Israel had designated a safe zone, and the attack came just two days after the International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah.”
More than seven months after Israel launched its war on Gaza to destroy Hamas and free the hostages captured in the group’s brazen attack Oct. 7, all eyes have been focused on the territory’s southernmost city, where more than a million Palestinians have fled in an attempt to escape Israel’s ongoing offensive. If it wasn’t clear before, it is now undeniable that the more than a million people crowded into Rafah in tents seeking refuge from death and injury are far from safe.
Israel’s relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip has created an increasingly tense dynamic with one of its biggest allies.
Sunday's strike also begs the question: Is this the red line President Joe Biden warned Israel not to cross? And if not this deadly attack, then what could possibly qualify?
The Rafah crossing on the Egypt border makes the city an important strategic point for the flow of goods and aid, as well as the point of evacuation for Gazans trapped in the territory during Israel’s continuous brutal onslaught. The Rafah crossing has been closed for months to both people and aid after Israel seized and shut down the vital lifeline for Palestinians and aid workers, trapping doctors and aid workers along with people fleeing Israeli attacks.
Now, Israel’s relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip has created an increasingly tense dynamic with one of its biggest allies, the United States. Biden, once unwavering in his support for Israel and its right to defend itself, has expressed concern about the ongoing aggression, and warned that the U.S. would stop supplying aid and weapons to Israel if it launched a ground offensive on Rafah.
There are other signs Israel has squandered more of its American goodwill. More than 50 members of Congress opposed a financial aid package to Israel and some are now openly calling on Biden to halt all offensive weapons, like those used against Palestinians in Gaza, from being transferred to Israel. Meanwhile, at the United Nations, the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to grant Palestine more rights and privileges.
Israel ignoring Biden’s calls to not invade Rafah or launch a large-scale assault against it could undermine America’s standing on the global stage. A full-on military invasion into the city will be the strongest sign to date that the U.S. has lost control over its vassal state in the region.
And if Israel’s full-on military invasion in other areas of the Gaza Strip is any indication, Sunday’s strike could be the beginning of still more violence to come. In Gaza City, for example, Israel’s ground invasion culminated with an assault on its Shifa Hospital where it believed Hamas had its command and control headquarters. To get to the campus which sits in a densely populated neighborhood, Israel razed buildings and whole city blocks to clear a path for its troops, leading to scenes of unimaginable carnage and a staggering death toll.
As Palestinians, aid workers and U.N. officials have been saying for months, there’s nowhere safe left to go. The so-called humanitarian zone Israel has instructed Palestinians to move to is literally open barren land with no sewage, shelters, hospitals, infrastructure, aid or food.
Outrage is continuing to grow over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reluctance to agree to a cease-fire deal that will bring the hostages home. The longer this war lasts, the longer Netanyahu stays in office. Once the war ends, it is widely expected that so too will his time in office.
Palestinians in Gaza have been running from one part of the besieged strip to the other at the orders of Israel, with no mercy or end in sight. Those who have still managed to survive are doing so under unimaginable circumstances, waiting for the world to finally intervene and save them from this onslaught.
While the U.S. has publicly stated that it opposes an assault on Rafah, Israel continues to expand its operations. Biden is boxed in between Republicans who claim his red-lines are a betrayal of America’s commitment to Israel’s security, and who oppose his promise to punish Israel if it does attack. To avoid being outflanked by Republicans on this issue, Biden recently signaled he will approve another $1 billion in arms sales to Israel even as he threatened cutting off aid if a Rafah invasion happens. Such mixed messaging and action by the administration yet again show the disarray of the Biden administration’s policy on Gaza. And it continues to prolong the war.
And regardless of what happens in the geopolitical arena, it is of little consequence to the Palestinians who are still suffering and dying every day. Israel is attacking Rafah. Whether it meets Biden’s definition of a “large scale assault” is irrelevant to the families of the innocent people who are being killed.