Netanyahu Approves Rafah Offensive Plan
Facts
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved plans that would see Israeli forces enter the Gazan border town of Rafah, in which over 1M displaced Palestinians have taken refuge. The news came as negotiations between Israel and Hamas seemingly made some progress on Friday.1
- Hamas presented a new cease-fire proposal on Thursday, positing that, unlike previous proposals, the group was willing to agree upon the end of the war after a deal regarding hostages had been implemented. Though Israel rejected the proposal, it will send a delegation to Qatar for more talks.2
- Hamas' new proposal also stipulated that women, children, the elderly, and ill captives would be exchanged for 700 to 1K Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu said that the proposal was still based on 'unrealistic demands,' softening his tone in contrast to previous statements.3
- On Friday, a ship loaded with food aid reached Gaza after leaving Cyprus earlier this week, the first shipment of its kind to arrive off the coast of the besieged strip. The initiative, organized by the World Central Kitchen (WCK), comes as concerns about famine conditions in Gaza increasingly grow.4
- Meanwhile, Israel contested claims that its forces killed 21 Palestinians and wounded 150 in Gaza City on Thursday as they waited for aid, saying that its soldiers had not fired and releasing a video that allegedly shows militants firing near the crowd. The details remain unclear.5
- A US-backed UN Security Council draft resolution supporting an immediate Gaza cease-fire in exchange for the release of all of the hostages was reportedly circulated on Thursday. The draft also called for the unimpeded flow of aid into Gaza.6
Sources: 1The Guardian, 2New York Post, 3Al Jazeera, 4CNN, 5The Times of Israel and 6Forbes.
Narratives
- Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Truthout. Israel is purposefully creating a famine in Gaza at a rate unprecedented in the post-WWII era. Israeli forces have been blocking food, water, and other necessities from entering Gaza since the war began, and have intensified those efforts to facilitate a horrific and dehumanizing situation for Palestinians, with people being forced to drink contaminated water and eat whatever they can find, including grass and moldy potatoes. This level of cruelty is simply unfathomable, and Israel must be held accountable for these atrocious crimes.
- Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Jerusalem Post. Regardless of the fallacies reported in the media, at every step of the way, Israel has made extraordinary efforts to spare civilians the brunt of its military might. The UN — which has consistently demonstrated its anti-Israel bias — and its incompetence are the primary cause of the current food shortages in Gaza, which will hopefully be remedied soon. Indeed, Israel keeps facilitating more and more ways to get aid into Gaza, directly hindering its war effort, yet critics — who have completely forgotten Hamas' atrocities on Oct. 7 — refuse to treat Israel fairly.
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NBC. Israel must be able to defend itself from terrorist attacks from Gaza or elsewhere, and the US is committed to preventing malicious actors from threatening Israel's legitimate concerns. However, the Biden admin. is losing its patience with Netanyahu's intransigence. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is rapidly getting out of hand, and the situation must be remedied. The Biden admin. is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Palestinian civilians and is now taking its own steps to alleviate this dreadful situation.