Rafah evacuation: Israeli cabinet continues deliberations on Rafah invasion and prisoner exchange deal

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

The Israeli War Cabinet persisted in discussing the Rafah plan, particularly regarding the evacuation of over 1.4 million Palestinians from the area before the start of military operations.

Monday's cabinet discussions followed Sunday's session, which saw new obstacles introduced by Benjamin Netanyahu concerning a prisoner exchange deal, focusing on the condition of deporting what is now known as the senior Palestinian prisoners to Qatar immediately upon completing the deal. New talks are scheduled in Qatar later this week.

During the cabinet's deliberations on the Rafah invasion plan, it was concluded that evacuating civilians would not be swift, not only due to overwhelming congestion but also for various reasons:

Firstly, the preparation of areas for the displaced population is complex, primarily because Israel seeks a way to distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters.

Secondly, the presence of Israeli prisoners with members of the four brigades that Israel plans to fight in Rafah, Hamas' last stronghold.

According to the plan's initial phase, Tel Aviv will construct a floating pier north of Rafah to ensure the transportation of residents and the arrival of humanitarian aid by land and sea. Mobile hospital activities on ships will also be maintained.

Furthermore, tent construction is planned in the surrounding areas of Rafah, where Palestinians will be relocated as a primary evacuation point, given the difficulty of ensuring the return of thousands of them to northern Gaza, where there is no infrastructure and the presence of explosives and weapons that could endanger the population.

The plan also assumes presenting evacuation points to the Egyptians and reaching an agreement with them before the invasion begins, a process that requires time.

Regarding the government's focal points, there has to be a prisoner exchange before Ramadan or the invasion of Rafah if negotiations fail.

In both cases, Israel will not achieve its war objectives, raising concerns that an invasion during Ramadan will not only lead to a third 'Intifada' in the West Bank but also ignite various fronts.

Meanwhile, the army intensified its fighting in Gaza by air and land, concurrently with increased operations on the northern front with Lebanon, potentially hindering progress towards a political breakthrough that prevents the region's entanglement in a war with unpredictable outcomes.