DAY 213 OF THE WAR: Hamas Accepts Some Ceasefire Plan, Israel Enters Outskirts of Rafah, Eitan the APC, Rethinking Holocaust Education

Tel Aviv Diary, May 6, 2024

In the 213 days of the war, tonight has been the most challenging to write about because events have been changing so quickly. Earlier today, I wrote that the chances of reaching an agreement on a hostage deal were zero. However, this is the Middle East, and situations here rarely remain static for long. Tonight, Hamas announced that it had accepted the Egyptian plan; a plan Israel had supposedly already agreed to accept. Initial reactions in Israel dismissed Hamas’s acceptance as just a PR ploy. However, once Israel officially received Hamas's response, it is not clear whether or not the plan Hamas accepted differs significantly from the original blueprint.

At this point, the government has decided to send a negotiating team to Cairo. However, the night has become more complicated. With word that Hamas has agreed to some plan, thousands of Israelis gathered to demonstrate in front of the Defense Ministry.

Tonight, demonstrators closed the Ayalon Highway. While I was at that demonstration, notifications began to appear that Israeli ground forces had entered the area of East of Rafah.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke by phone with President Biden and reportedly promised Biden that the attack in Rafah would be very limited. The area that the Army entered  is primarily agricultural land, and no more than 100,000 people live in that region. However, the area East of Rafah does possess one very important asset— the Rafah crossing to Egypt, i.e., the only crossing between Egypt and Gaza. There are currently no plans to enter the densely populated portions of Rafah. This is not only because the US has warned us against doing so, but also because it is believed that most of the hostages are there — and operating in such an environment without endangering the hostages will be extremely difficult.

Tonight there were rocket attacks on Sderot and the vicinity.

I cannot begin to fathom what the families of the hostages continue to go through. Last night, as I sat in Hostage Square during the Holocaust Remembrance ceremony, it was particularly heartbreaking to think about the families and their loved ones, whose return seemed even more remote and challenging.

If the deal falls through, there will undoubtedly be a blame game. Until tonight, it seemed to me that neither side genuinely wanted an agreement. Netanyahu was fearful that any deal, even one just for the first stage, could bring down his government, while Hamas faces no real pressure other than whatever the Qataris exert. Thus, they would rather see Israel entangle itself in Rafah and suffer the diplomatic and economic consequences that will follow. Today, Netanyahu was quick to refute a New York Times story suggesting that negotiators were very close to reaching a consensus until Netanyahu issued his statement on Shabbat (categorically stating Israel would enter Rafah, no matter what). What Netanyahu could not explain was why he felt compelled to issue any statements at all. If Hamas truly wanted an agreement, there’s no rational explanation for why they fired mortars into Israel near the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Tomorrow marks eight months since this war began. Will capturing Rafah make any difference? There are reports that Hamas has been reconstituting its forces in the northern part of Gaza. So, what have we accomplished?

The plan Israel claims to have for handling the civilian population appears to be little more than something scribbled on the back of a napkin. From what I can ascertain, the plan appears to call for bombing part of Rafah to create an incentive and then telling 100,000 people on the outskirts of the town to move. There is no organized movement to a tent city with food and medical supplies. After theoretically planning this operation for months, it’s difficult to believe that this the best we can come up with. For months, the Americans have told us they are okay with us entering Rafah, as long as we have a solid plan for protecting the civilians.

What is also clear at this point is that the Army, or for that matter, the government, seems to have totally forgotten what Israeli governments have always understood— we cannot fight a prolonged war. Whether it's fair or not, at some point, if a war drags on too long, the world will inevitably turn against us. It's completely unclear why the Army thought we could spend four months in Khan Younis or why the reservists were sent home before securing all parts of Gaza. Every additional day this war continues, it further deteriorates our already dire diplomatic standing.

NORTH

Today was another day of heavy fire in the North, both to the Golan Heights and to the confrontation line. An attack drone landed on a building near Meaullah, causing significant casualties.

“Eitan” APC on the Battlefield

Two weeks prior to October 7, the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion, responsible for the southern envelope sector, recognized the need for the newly developed Eitan APCs at the border. Despite their request, the military hierarchy initially denied the deployment, citing that the vehicles had not been fully integrated into operations. However, this decision would soon be reconsidered under pressing circumstances.