There is endless media coverage of the initial stages of Israel’s military operation in Rafah, with headlines from the Associated Press such as: “Israel begins military operation in Rafah, hours after Hamas agrees to a ceasefire,” portraying a false idea that Hamas is acting in good faith while villainizing Israel.
How media outlets are whitewashing Hamas - a terror organization - is astounding.
An actual terror group that has committed to genociding the Jewish people is somehow portrayed as the “good guys” by these outlets.
Hamas forced us to enter Rafah
Rafah remains Hamas’s final stronghold, located in southern Gaza, right next to the Egyptian border. Israeli officials have reported that the terror group has six remaining battalions left in Gaza, four of which remain in Rafah: Yabna (South,) Shaboura (North,) Tel Sultan (West,) and East Rafah.
About 1.3 million Gazans (about half the population) are currently sheltering in Rafah, which is why any type of offensive is concerning because it will undoubtedly lead to death and bloodshed. Israel believes that senior Hamas leadership is hiding in Rafah, possibly with some of the remaining hostages.
After months of negotiations for a hostage deal, where Hamas rejected multiple ceasefire offers in return for the remaining hostages, and Hamas fired rockets that killed four soldiers in the latest rounds of negotiations, Israel was left with no alternative but to act.
An operation in Rafah is not something Israelis want, but Hamas has left us no choice.
The terror group cannot negotiate in good faith and is attempting to weaponize every hostage to leverage them for a permanent ceasefire. While the details of the hostage negotiations have not been made public, reports from journalists and officials have said that Hamas attempted to leverage hostages who have been killed, knowing that Israel is desperate to release the ones who are still alive. Keeping as many living hostages under their captivity as possible allows the terror group to continue to use the Israelis as a bargaining chip for their survival.
The IDF contacted 100,000 Palestinians with warnings to evacuate eastern Rafah before the planned offensive. It dropped flyers, sent texts, and made phone calls to tell the Gazans to leave specific areas and direct them to flee to the al-Mawasi and Khan Yunis areas, which have become designated humanitarian zones.
In a recent interview with CNN, Biden stated, “I’ve made it clear that if they [Israel] go into Rafah, I am not supplying the weapons that have been historically used to deal with Rafah.” While he has committed to supplying funding for defense systems like the Iron Dome, refusing to provide Israel with the weapons it needs to destroy Hamas is a serious problem because it sends the wrong message to terrorists.
The truth is that if Israel has to stand alone, it can do so. It does not need the United States to arm them with these one-ton bombs to win. Claiming that Israel is in jeopardy because of Biden’s decision implies that the IDF is helpless without the US (which is far from the truth.)
Media outlets enjoy making everything sound dramatic and making it seem that when two allies disagree, it means a complete betrayal of each other.
Biden and his administration can do whatever they want, but it is a decision that the vast majority of American Jewish leaders and pro-Israel Democrats oppose entirely.
An important question to also consider is whether or not halting the transfer of “smart bombs” will force Israel to use weapons with less ability to pinpoint a target and could cause more damage. Most of us can’t answer these questions without extensive military knowledge, so we should be careful with what we say.
The issue is not whether or not Israel can succeed without the support of the US, but rather what message it sends to terror groups who commit atrocities like Hamas did on October 7. Indeed, the four Hamas battalions in Rafah probably sigh in relief over Biden’s announcement.
Israel says that it is not possible to win this war or destroy Hamas without operating in Rafah, and destroying Hamas is also in the interest of the American people.
Refusing to arm Israel because of Rafah teaches terrorists that if they manufacture enough civilian casualties, then enough international pressure could incentivize a permanent ceasefire and incentivize them to hold off releasing the hostages, allowing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to walk away unscathed.
Senior Hamas leadership is learning that the West will cave into pressure when things get tough. We should not be living in a world where terrorists get to win, especially at the expense of countries like Israel and the United States.
The writer is a social media activist with more than 10 years of experience working for Israeli and Jewish causes and cause-based NGOs. She is the co-founder and COO of Social Lite Creative, a digital marketing firm specializing in geopolitics.