Tasmir Aziz
The stench of death hovers over Khan Younis, a city in the Southern Gaza Strip. As Israel’s 98th Division forces withdrew on April 7th, ending the siege that began in earnest in December, many residents returned to find most of their city reduced to rubble and their homes destroyed. More than 80% of Khan Younis's buildings are estimated to be destroyed and the rest mostly uninhabitable, according to an initial assessment by the municipality.[1]
As returning residents forage in the rubble of their former homes for their belongings, The Palestinian Civil Defence (PCD), the organization responsible for emergency services and rescue for areas under the authority of the Palestinian Authority, estimates that over 8000 bodies may lie underneath the ruins of the city that had been the site of some of the most intense fighting of the conflict.[2] The PCD also discovered a mass grave dug by the Israeli military near the Nasser Medical Complex containing 180 bodies, including those of elderly women and children, not unlike others discovered near Al Shifa hospital in Gaza city.[3] “In every house there is a martyr, a wounded person. Words cannot describe the magnitude of the devastation and the suffering we experienced. We cried hysterically at the sight of the blood” Qandil, 46, one of those who had come back to Khan Younis, told AFP.[4]
The Siege of Khan Younis: A Resistance that Will Not Die
Despite its technical superiority, the IDF faced significant resistance in Khan Younis and fell prey to numerous successful attacks by the Hamas militia. In early December, Israeli forces began a ground and armored invasion of Khan Younis after a jet hit over 50 targets in the city.[5] By December 10th, the IDF reported that 6 soldiers had been killed with Hamas claiming the partial or total destruction of 24 Israeli military vehicles. The Duvdevan Unit commandos and the Oketz Special Forces K9 unit uncovered a system of tunnels and a drone production facility which they destroyed, severely hampering Hamas’s ability to launch drone strikes. The impact was significant enough for the IDF to announce a reduction in emergency rules for the city of Ashkelon.[6] The operating power of Hamas however continued to pose a problem for the IDF when the al-Qassam brigades carried out numerous successful attacks including multiple incidents where they trapped IDF soldiers in a house.[7]
In January, 21 Israeli soldiers died in an explosion and building collapse, making it the deadliest day for IDF forces since the invasion began.[8] IDF soldiers raided the Nasser hospital the following month, claiming that it contained hostages, though no captives were found.[9] Soon after, the IDF announced that the Hamas Khan Younis Brigade no longer exists but other Hamas-aligned militias continue to prevent Israeli operational control over the area while Hamas continued to report combat effectiveness in the city, a claim validated by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), an American military research Think Tank.[10] On April 6, the al-Qassam Brigades carried out the “Ambush of the Righteous”, a multi-phase attack that claimed the lives of 4 IDF soldiers.[11] The withdrawal occurred the next day.
Israeli Withdrawal: An Admission of Defeat?
Numerous explanations were offered for the withdrawal, including the need to relieve reservists after months of intense fighting and the need to regroup in preparation for the assault on Rafah. But the decision to leave Khan Younis invited criticism and stoked fears of Israeli shortcomings in the war. The senior military correspondent for the rightwing Jerusalem Post, Yonah Jeremy Bob, described it as “admission of failure”.[12] Many expressed skepticisms about Netanyahu’s claims about an impending assault on Rafah with critics speculating that the Prime Minister was seeking to prolong the war at a slower pace for his own political survival. National security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, had warned that “if Netanyahu decides to end the war without an expansive assault in Rafah, he won’t have the mandate to serve as prime minister”, a sentiment echoed by his far-right colleague Bezalel Smotrich who immediately called for a Cabinet meeting to discuss the progress of the war.[13]
Simultaneously, the end of the Khan Younis siege indicated to many like Israel Hayom and Ariel Kahana, that a hostages-for-ceasefire deal was imminent.[14] For months, the attack on Khan Younis was touted as a way to force Hamas to release the hostages being held there. Yet, none were found. This points to a wider strategic failure of the Israeli army that has been unable to retrieve all but two hostages through rescue operations with over 50 having died according to Hamas as a result of Israeli attacks[15], including an instance when unarmed Israelis waving white flags and SOS signs were mistakenly shot by the IDF.[16] While the Israelis may claim that the destruction of Hamas is the only way of safely bringing the hostages home, it is clear that this strategy has not yielded success.
But Israel’s catastrophic failures in the war go beyond its inability to bring hostages home. Claims that Israeli victory is but one ground invasion into the densely populated and “final stronghold” of Hamas may be unfounded. Palestinian resistance continues to be stiff across the Gaza Strip. Following the withdrawal, the Israeli army carried out an incursion into the Nuseirat refugee camp where soldiers were ambushed, forcing a withdrawal[17]. After several Israeli soldiers were killed in an ambush in Mughraqa that utilized an unexploded US-made Israeli missile, the Israelis withdrew.[18] And on Sunday, rocket fire from southern Gaza killed four Israeli soldiers at a staging area in the Kerem Shalom military base.[19]
The Attack on Rafah: A Sign of Desperation
One could be forgiven for concluding that the Israelis would prefer to escalate the war rather than secure freedom and safety for its civilians, including the hostages whose plight continues to be stated as a core motivation behind operations that have claimed the lives of over 40,000 Palestinians. Israeli officials continue to describe the necessity of an invasion into Rafah, such as Shimon Boker, Deputy Mayor of Beersheba and closely tied to Netanyahu’s Likud party who went on Israeli TV to say “I think we should have gone into Rafah yesterday…There are no uninvolved [innocent] civilians there….You have to go in and kill and kill and kill.”[20] Over 600,000 children reside in Rafah whose original quarter million population has quintupled with the influx of refugees.[21]
Hamas’s acceptance of the ceasefire deal, one brokered by none other than CIA Director William Burns, may have taken the Israelis by surprise who were quick to reject it.[22] As indirect talks between Hamas, Qatar, Egypt, and the CIA continued, Israeli tanks entered Rafah under the cover of airstrikes.[23] The assault on Rafah is rightly expected to be a bloodbath, a major strategic blunder that will cause a catastrophic loss of innocent life and achieve nothing else for the Israeli army. The question then becomes what does Israel have to gain from the operation in Rafah? One conclusion that can be consistent with the bloodshed that has been witnessed is that the Israelis believe that this assault on civilian life may force the surrender of Hamas, either directly or through the surrender of the Palestinians who will finally turn against the militant group.
But such an outcome may be unlikely. The only thing left to achieve is the continuation of a conflict without which Israel will be left exposed on the world stage. Its strategy of managing the conflict has failed, its hope of integrating with the broader Middle East by bypassing the Palestinian cause is dead, and its prosecution of the war has invited revulsion from even its closest allies. It remains on trial for genocide at the ICJ and awaits a tumultuous political transition following the end of the conflict.
Israel needs this war. It requires an ongoing conflict to avoid the repercussions of its moral and strategic failures. While the surrender and destruction of Hamas may never materialize, Israel’s desperation will continue to claim the lives of countless more Palestinian civilians. As the death toll mounts, paths towards resolution continue to vanish.
Sources
[1] Baba, A. (2024, April 10). A first glimpse of Khan Younis, a Gaza city now lying in ruins. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/04/10/1243605152/khan-younis-gaza-residents-return-israel-hamas-war
[2] Jamal, Stephen Quillen, Urooba. "Israel War on Gaza | Live updates | Today's latest from Al Jazeera". Al Jazeera.
[3] Jazeera, A. (2024, April 22). Nearly 200 bodies found in mass grave at hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/21/nearly-200-bodies-found-in-mass-grave-at-hospital-in-gazas-khan-younis
[4] Beaumont, P. (2024, April 9). Palestinians return to destroyed homes in Khan Younis after Israeli withdrawal. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/08/palestinians-return-khan-younis-israeli-withdrawal-southern-gaza
[5] Reuters. (2024, March 3). Israeli military steps up strikes on Hamas in Gaza's Khan Younis. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-military-steps-up-strikes-hamas-gazas-khan-younis-2024-03-03/
[6] Seven soldiers die as IDF breaks more Khan Yunis defense lines. The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-778539
[7] Hamas’s military wing targets Israeli army vehicles, troops in Khan Younis. (n.d.). https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hamass-military-wing-targets-israeli-army-vehicles-troops-in-khan-younis/3136753
[8] Sky News. (2024, January 23). RPG fired at tank triggers explosion killing Israeli soldiers in Gaza, IDF says. Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/rpg-fired-at-tank-triggers-explosion-killing-21-israeli-soldiers-in-gaza-idf-says-13054365
[9] (2024, February 15). Israeli troops raid Nasser hospital in southern Gaza. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/15/israeli-troops-raid-nasser-hospital-southern-gaza
[10] Jhaveri, Ashka; Moore, Johanna; Braverman, Alexandra; Carl, Nicholas (9 March 2024). "Iran Update, March 9, 2024" (Historical analysis and research). Institute for the Study of War. Washington, D.C.: ISW Press.
9 April 2024. ".كمين الأبرار .. القسام يعرض مشاهد لعملية نوعية ضدالاحتلال شرق خانيونس (شاهد)"[11]
[12] Beaumont, P. (2024c, April 9). Palestinians return to destroyed homes in Khan Younis after Israeli withdrawal. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/08/palestinians-return-khan-younis-israeli-withdrawal-southern-gaza
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Hamas Says "Almost 50" Israeli Hostages Killed Since Israel Strikes Began. (n.d.). NDTV.com. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/hamas-says-almost-50-israeli-hostages-killed-since-israel-strikes-began-4516941
[16] BBC News. (2023, December 18). Israel Gaza: Hostages shot by IDF put out “SOS” sign written with leftover food. BBC.com. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67745092
[17] Israeli army withdraws from Gaza refugee camp, leaving behind bodies, trail of destruction. (n.d.). https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-army-withdraws-from-gaza-refugee-camp-leaving-behind-bodies-trail-of-destruction/3195189
[18] It’s clearer than ever: Israel’s war has failed catastrophically | The nation. (2024, May 9). The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/rafah-invasion-israel-failure/
[19] Ibid.
[20] It’s clearer than ever: Israel’s war has failed catastrophically | The nation. (2024, May 9). The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/rafah-invasion-israel-failure/
[21] Ibid.
[22] Ibid.
[23] It’s clearer than ever: Israel’s war has failed catastrophically | The nation. (2024, May 9). The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/rafah-invasion-israel-failure/
