The reports that almost 1 million people have evacuated Rafah as the IDF operation has taken place there since May 6, in the wake of the Hamas attack on Kerem Shalom...shows that it was possible to get civilians to evacuate. It also shows something else
Israel has expanded greatly the number of crossings into Gaza since March. These include Gate 96 (Netzarim corridor), the Erez Crossing and Erez West Crossing (Zikim). The US put in place the temporary pier. There are now a lot of options for aid to reach central and northern Gaza.
This comes as the Rafah crossing from Egypt remains closed. Hamas used its control of that crossing to hijack humanitarian aid and likely to sell it or control it to make people suffer. Hamas wanted to exploit suffering to prevent the battle of Rafah, so Hamas could keep control of smuggling tunnels and weapons stockpiles.
The fact that so many people left Rafah, many of them already displaced from other areas of Gaza, reduces the strain on Kerem Shalom crossing and reduces the need for the Rafah crossing which Hamas wants to return to. This can potentially be a gamechanger. The goal must be to get Hamas away from the aid, so people can have it without Hamas stealing it.
Hamas uses its "police" who partner with intl NGOs to basically be used as a kind of mafia-cartel to control aid. Hamas has done this for a decade and a half. This is how Hamas stockpiled more weapons per capita than most countries. But now is the time that this depressing cycle can end.
A lot of countries and NGOs and orgs tried to stop Israel's operation in Rafah because they wanted to keep Hamas in power. Hamas has been a huge profit center for them, controlling Gaza, and Hamas leaders got hosted by western allies in the region...a lot was invested in Hamas control of Gaza. It is all at risk now. A lot of interests who partnered with Hamas are worried that their proxy and partner won't be there tomorrow, their faucet of money they could skim off the top in Gaza will evaporate.
Imagine a transparent government of Gaza...where all the aid isn't hijacked by gunmen...but actually reaches the people, where schools don't have tunnels under them, where hospitals are not used by armed terrorists...where civilians are not shields for extremists...where people can live without the Hamas terrorist cartel that the international community saddled Gaza with.
There is a crime against humanity in Gaza. It is the crimes of Hamas and the crime of allowing Hamas to control Gaza. Too many countries and interests in the intl community committed this crime in Gaza, forcing Gazans to live under the horrors of Hamas and its endless war. The abuse must stop. Hamas must be removed. This evil must be ended and now is the opportunity to do it.
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