According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP), in Rafah, Israeli forces continue to encounter “significant resistance” from Palestinian fighters from several armed groups who carried out attacks in different areas of the southern city, including in the Shabour and Tal as-Sultan neighbourhoods.

In their latest battlefield report, the two US-based defence think tanks said Hamas video footage of an attack on an Israeli tank using a tunnel and improvised explosive device (IED) demonstrates that the group’s fighters in Rafah “remain cohesive and effective.”

The monitors said their analysis was consistent with a recent Israeli military report that it had “only somewhat degraded” two of the four Hamas battalions engaged in the fight for Rafah.

Meanwhile, Eyal Hulata, the former Head of Israel’s National Security Council, criticised the Israeli government for failing to develop a post-war plan for Gaza after nearly nine months of fighting.

“This is one of the biggest failures, because the actual result is the gradual return of Hamas to control the Gaza Strip,” Hulata told a news agency.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed, even though the military spokesman has said that entirely eliminating the group would be impossible.

Also on Thursday, Gaza’s Health Ministry disclosed that at least 37,765 people have been killed and 86,429 wounded in Israeli military attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

Of those, 47 Palestinians were killed and 52 wounded in the past 24-hour reporting period, the ministry added.

The Civil Defence in Gaza issued a statement, warning that it is running out of fuel and its rescue missions “may stop at any moment.”

It said on its Telegram channel that rescue crews carried out several missions this morning alone, involving recovering bodies and survivors from four homes attacked in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood, as well as two separate houses in the Shujayea area.

“Our crews cannot deal with the huge number of targets while running out of fuel,” its statement said.

“The reality of the health system in the northern Gaza Strip is tragic as the aggression continues.

Former Israeli Negotiator Not Optimistic About Ceasefire Between Hamas And Israel

Gershon Baskin, a former Israeli negotiator for captives’ release and Middle East Director of the International Communities Organisation, is not optimistic about the prospects of Israel and Hamas reaching a ceasefire deal, saying there is an “unreachable gap” between the two sides.

He pointed out that Hamas is not willing to strike any agreement that does not fully end the war, while Netanyahu is only open to a “partial agreement” that would bring home Israeli captives during a temporary truce.

He added that The Israeli Prime Minister has not given negotiators the green light to make any concessions beyond this.

Baskin noted that this means “we are stuck.”

“The families of the hostages are extremely frustrated and sad. We are nine months into this war now and no end in sight.”
Gershon Baskin

Moreover, Baskin suggested that the UN send international peacekeeping forces into Gaza to “protect the Palestinian people and force the Israelis to withdraw.”

“We need to think out of the box and come up with solutions that will enable this war to end, the Israeli hostages to come home, and a rebuilding process of Gaza to begin,” Baskin told a news agency.

He added, “It needs to be done collaboratively [with Palestinians], but we need to get this war to end quickly.”

Baskin also called for more international pressure on Israel to open up border crossings and facilitate more aid flow within Gaza, where hundreds of thousands face catastrophic hunger.

“This has to be done and it has to be a result of international pressure because it’s doubtful Israel will do it on its own,” he said.