Israeli seizure of Rafah crossing has inflamed Gaza crisis

An Israeli bloodbath

The potential attack on Rafah, where almost a million people are gathered — after the rest of Gaza has been absolutely obliterated and tens of thousands have been killed and injured — would be nothing short of a bloodbath committed by Israel.

It seems to be absolutely unconcerned with the fact that the world now recognises that it has been committing an act of genocide over the course of the past seven months.

And it seems to be intent on doing whatever it can to achieve some element of victory.

What has actually been accomplished?

It's important to note that, to date, Israel's government has yet to demonstrate to the Israeli people that it has achieved anything.

Truthfully, it has achieved nothing — nothing regarding breaking or dismantling the Palestinian resistance, nothing in terms of returning the Israeli prisoners that are with the Palestinians.

So, Netanyahu and his generals seem to be absolutely horrified of what might come, should they not be able to demonstrate at least some element of victory in this war crime that they have been committing systematically.

And remember, this war crime has not taken place without the support of Western governments, including the US and our own in London.

Any delays are now totally in Israel's court

It's key to go back a step and to shed light on Hamas' acceptance of the terms of the Egyptian proposal for a truce.

That came as a shock and a surprise to all parties and has left every single one of them, including the Israelis, the Americans, and the Egyptians, in a state of nervousness, because what has happened now means that no-one can accuse either Hamas or the Palestinians of rejecting offers of peace!

In Netanyahu's case, he has to face a public that is against him, one to which he can no longer peddle the lie that it is because of Hamas that Israeli prisoners aren't coming home.

In this case, clearly Hamas has agreed and it is Netanyahu and his generals who have rejected the offer to see an exchange of prisoners. This will add to the wrath that is already felt throughout Israeli society.

And again, in the case of America, the continuous claim that it's Hamas that is the stumbling block to any ceasefire or truce cannot hold water any longer.

Choice for Netanyahu to invade Rafah and avoid jail time

It seems that, regarding the attack on Rafah, the decision was made quite quickly, once Netanyahu felt cornered and realised that his days — not only as Prime Minister but as a free individual — are numbered.

He knows and everyone knows that it is he who is prolonging the war, because it is his only way out of prison. He seems to have this hope that he might achieve a victory that might allow him to be held in high esteem by the Israeli public and, of course, save him from going to jail.

So it seems to be a decision that was made not only in haste but a decision that was made in total ignorance of any kind of consideration of what might come in terms of the civilian lives lost, and in terms of how Israel might come across, not only to the world but to its own allies.

Egypt must come clean, it must make clear its response

Now that we've seen Israel has taken over the Rafah border from the Palestinian side, I personally think that if a ground attack is carried out, the Egyptians will be under immense pressure to explain their position. And chief among them will be President al-Sisi.

Indeed, the Egyptians used to claim it was Hamas that was impeding the Rafah border and impeding aid into Gaza. So now that the Israelis have absolutely, undeniably, unequivocally taken over the Rafah crossing, it is incumbent upon the Egyptians to come clean and to state exactly what their response will be to this.

And by 'this', I mean that which is an act of aggression, arguably on their own land, on their own soil, as well as the summary execution of 39 employees — civilians who were guarding and administrating the Rafah border.

In conclusion, if this long anticipated attack is allowed to unfold, it will be nothing short of a bloodbath. In the words of many commentators, it'll make whatever has happened over the past seven months pale in consideration.

We ask Allah (subḥānahu wa ta'āla) to save us and to save those who are oppressed.

Do you know about the 'Givati Brigade' that just invaded the Rafah aid crossing?

The 84th Givati Brigade, formed in 1947 as an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade, was one of several groups commissioned to ethnically cleanse Palestinian villages during Operations Hametz, Barak, and Pleshet.

Its members included terrorist-designated 'Irgun' veterans, that had been involved in unspeakable atrocities against Palestinian and British authorities alike, between 1931 and 1949.

Led by Shimon Avidan during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the brigade attacked the village of Abu Shusha on May 13–14 of that year, as part of Operation Barak.

Reports indicate that the village was subjected to brutal acts, with around 60 residents (men and women of all ages) massacred according to recent research conducted by Birzeit University. In 1995, a mass grave that was discovered contained 52 skeletons.

In a particularly disgusting account, according to Israel historian Benny Morris, a 'Haganah' militant — also part of that brigade — 'twice attempted to rape a 20-year-old woman prisoner'.

Following the attack, the Israeli settlements of Ameilim and Pedaya were established on nearby Palestinian remains, while the remains of the village of Abu Shusha were destroyed in 1965 as part of a government operation to clear abandoned villages deemed 'a blot on the landscape' by the Israel Land Administration.

The real question, however, is:

'Do you condemn Hamas?'