DAY 164 OF THE GAZA WAR: Biden and Netanyahu Speak, IDF Returns to Shifa Hospital, Hostage Negotiations Begin

Tel Aviv Diary March 18, 2024

BIDEN AND NETANYAHU SPEAK

Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Biden spoke by phone this evening for the first time in a month. The conversation focused on the Rafah operation and issues surrounding humanitarian aid. While Biden remains opposed to an Israeli operation in Rafah, Netanyahu was adamant about proceeding. They agreed that Israel would send a delegation to Washington to discuss the operation’s specifics and how Israel plans to relocate Rafah’s refugees to safety. The Americans are expected to propose some alternative strategies for defeating Hamas.

A short excerpt from my appearance tonight on i124 News

Personally, I think proceeding with the Rafah operation at this point is a mistake. If I believed there was a real chance entering Rafah would actually make a significant impact, it might justify all the negative PR we will undoubtedly receive. However, much like our inability to locate key Hamas figures in Khan Younis after extensive searches, I suspect that the most important fighters will not be awaiting our arrival in Rafah.

As for humanitarian aid in Gaza, I believe this story is strongly overstated. I do not believe anyone is actually starving in Gaza. The ridiculous claims by UN officials  suggesting that Israel is employing starvation as a military tactic is absurd and unfounded. First of all, Israel does not have a policy of using starvation as a tactic. Aside from the moral problem, it is not in Israel’s interest to generate extraordinarily negative PR by deliberately starving Gazans. It's essential to scrutinize these reports critically, as the only party interested in bad PR for Israel is Hamas. Too many reports of the situation in Gaza stem from sources originating from people influenced or employed by Hamas, which obviously has a vested interest in promoting adverse PR against Israel.

Finally, President Biden pressed Netanyahu to present a post-operation plan. However, Netanyahu has not yet engaged in serious discussions on this matter within the government, largely due to apprehensions about reactions from his right-wing base.

This brings me to Netanyahu's biggest “spin” of the day. While addressing an AIPAC delegation, Netanyahu claimed that politics had nothing to do with his decisions, even turning it around and suggesting that Biden's actions were politically motivated. It should be noted that few in Israel are under the illusion that Netanyahu’s actions are not often driven by his political needs.

IN GAZA

Israeli troops returned to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City today, after receiving intelligence that Hamas had once again turned the hospital into a command center. Elite IDF units, along with supporting troops, surrounded the hospital. When Hamas operatives started firing at them, the IDF returned fire, killing dozens of Hamas fighters, including a significant commander. Dozens of Hamas terrorists have been taken prisoners. As of this evening, a significant number of terrorists still remain holed up in some of the buildings of the Shifa hospital compound. The IDF lost one soldier in the operation: Staff Sergeant Matan Vinogradov (20)

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The operation at Shifa, which seems to be a success, also raises some difficult questions. How were so many Hamas terrorists able to return to an area the IDF had declared clear? Were they hiding in the vicinity all along, or might there be tunnels stretching from the North to the South that we have not yet found?

HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS

The Israeli negotiators landed in Qatar today. Initial reports suggest that today’s negotiations were constructive. Yet, challenging discussions are ahead as the sides argue over every prisoner to be released. However, negotiators stated that there is a framework to move forward. The talks were delayed by a day, suggesting that (at least) the Prime Minister may not be in any rush. The delay could be a negotiating tactic, which would be acceptable. However, a more pressing concern appears to be Ben-Gvir and Smotrich’s opposition to any deal that entails the release of a substantial number of terrorists “with blood on their hands,” i.e., responsible for taking lives.