Israeli forces have turned to southern Gaza by launching an offensive into the city of Khan Younis. It’s a move that’s made Egypt nervous, not because they fear an invasion by the IDF—Israel and Egypt have a peace treaty—but that would mean a massive influx of Palestinian refugees. Like other Arab countries, Cairo doesn’t want these people for a simple reason: they bring terrorism with them. Besides the United Nations carrying water for Hamas, along with other Western powers caving to antisemitic elements in calling for a permanent ceasefire, Israel’s other diplomatic agenda item is assuring Egypt they won’t be left holding the bag on any Palestinian refugee question. Cairo has warned Israel that such a crisis could lead to a fissure in their relations.
For now, the IDF is mopping up Hamas strongholds throughout the strip, dead set on eliminating the terror group. Israel’s timeline to conclude the first stage of the war in Gaza is within the next two months. Khan Younis is also where the remaining leadership of Hamas is supposedly holed up. Axios has more on the reported diplomatic discussions that have been ongoing since the war turned toward the southern part of the strip, notably how Biden officials are reportedly warning Jerusalem that time is running out regarding Washington's full-throated support for their anti-Hamas operations (via Axios):
A senior Israeli defense official told Axios Israel expects to end its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis in three to four weeks. The high-intensity phase of the war would likely last another three to four weeks, the official said.
Why it matters: The Biden administration has backed the Israeli operation in Gaza and says it supports Israel's stated goal of ousting Hamas in Gaza but the White House is under mounting international and domestic pressure to tell Israel to end the war.
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Behind the scenes: The senior Israeli official said the U.S. isn't "pulling the brakes" or giving Israel a firm deadline to stop the operation but pointing to the fact that time is running out.
The gap between the Biden administration and the Israeli government is about the one-month timetable Israel is giving for ending the high-intensity phase of the Gaza war, the official said.
White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told the Aspen Security Forum in Washington on Thursday that the U.S. hasn't given a firm deadline to Israel.
"This is their conflict. That said, we do have influence, even if we don't have ultimate control over what happens on the ground in Gaza," Finer said.
What they're saying: The Israeli defense official said the U.S. would be satisfied if Israel ended the high intensity phase of the operation by the end of December, while Israel is aiming for the end of January.
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The reported US desire for Israel to end their ground war operations soon due to domestic pressure is irrelevant. Even if the fighting ended tomorrow, with Hamas eradicated and Israel declaring victory, the IDF is staying in the Gaza Strip for the foreseeable future. This is a multi-year project, and the IDF could go into southern Lebanon after the Gaza war.
Arab American voters are bound to be furious over that new security arrangement in Gaza. They're already incensed over Biden’s support for Israel, who seems poised to lose this voter bloc next year. But supporting Hamas isn’t an option, no matter what these pro-terrorist Muslim voter enclaves think—this nation supports Israel. Period.
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