There’s going to be a demonstration in Gaza tomorrow. And under cover of that demonstration, Hamas may try to use the weapons it smuggled through the downed Rafah border fence—against Israel.
Palestinian officials on Sunday announced that they intend to protest the ongoing economic sanctions and blockade of the Gaza Strip on Monday morning by forming a human chain which will span from the Rafah Crossing in southern Gaza, to the Erez Crossing in the north.
In response, the IDF is weighing potential solutions for a scenario in which the a mass of unarmed civilians will try to break through the crossings and into Israel, Army Radio reported.
The main fear is that residents of the Strip will force their way through the crossings and that IDF attempts to contain the crowd will result in massive casualties.
These fears have been stoked by comments made by Hamas officials which have hinted towards the possibility of a confrontation.
“The next time Gazan residents protest the ongoing siege, they will do so on the border with Israel, and not on the border with Egypt,” Israel Radio reported one senior Hamas as saying on Sunday.
Another Hamas official said that any attempt at a border breach would be spontaneous, and not preplanned by the Islamic organization.
Yeah, just like the Rafah border breach was “spontaneous.” Except it wasn’t.
Hamas has used the border breach – which was carefully planned, with militants weakening the metal wall with blow torches about a month ago – to push its demand for reopening the border passages, this time with Hamas involvement.
If it’s an attack, Hamas is going to try to use the civilians in Gaza for cover while it launches an attack on Israel. It’s a win-win situation for Hamas. If the IDF kills civilians while trying to stop them from entering Israel—no matter whether or not they’re actually firing at terrorists with rifles in their midst, which has happened before—it’s a PR disaster for Israel. And if the IDF doesn’t fire, and thousands of Palestinians force their way into Israel, guaranteed that hundreds of them will be terrorists. I’m betting that the IDF is going to have several rings of soldiers around the area—but that doesn’t mean some won’t get through.
The PR disaster is assured. The world doesn’t ignore the deaths of civilians by the Jewish state the way it ignores the deaths of civilians by, gee, just about every other nation in the world except for America.
Egyptian border police shot and killed an African woman Sunday who was trying to cross illegally into Israel with a group of other migrants, a local medical official said.
I have yet to hear of a U.N. resolution condeming Egypt for the murder of so many African refugees. But oh, watch the speed of the U.N.’s condemnation of Israel should Hamas try to breach the border tomorrow.
I hope and pray that Hamas is just planning to give the wire services a photo op. But I worry that the long-talked-about offensive is near. So does the IDF.
Over the weekend, the military scrambled large forces to the Gaza border in anticipation of civilian unrest following the end of fuel supplies.
Immigration Absorption Minister Ya’acov Edri (Kadima) said Sunday that the government was ready for any scenario resulting from Palestinians trying to breach the border crossings.
I suppose we should be thankful UNIFIL hasn’t managed to get itself in the way on Israel’s Gaza border yet. They’d be more cover for Hamas terrorists.
Tomorrow will be interesting.
Sadly, Israel may have to consider itself a state permanently at war. So unjust.