Is Raf OK? -- Installment #133
2024-08-07 -- Tel Aviv -- "Gaza Explainer" Edition
First Time Here? Readers suggest starting with #120.
Tags: 12 Min Read; Some Videos; Huge Relief Area
Updates: The 100 Years of Gaza section was expanded on 2025/05/01.
Mail
The Two State Solution, That's Dead!
Former Prime Minister Lapid disagrees. The principle is supported openly by multiple Israeli political parties, even today, and even Bibi signed documents committing to it. Shaul Arieli wrote about getting this back on the radar just the other day, (PDF here) and Yair Lapid spoke about it with the Arabic Language Al Majalla outlet several months ago (3 min, in English).
Thomas Friedman and many other thinkers, in the U.S., Europe and Israel continue to consider this the next iteration of this region.
Is That "Butcher of Gaza [Bibi] Still" In Power?
How things shift... Until November, 2023, the man with that title was Hamas chief Sinwaar, known widely as: “The butcher of Khan Younis.” [Source: Every conversation about Gaza between 2018 and 2023... Also referenced in the New York Times, in November 2023, for example. (PDF here)
Sinwaar was in an Israeli prison for many years because he was convicted of murdering a number of Palestinians. His methods included, I understand, burying alive and cutting people up gradually with a machette.
Gaza traded one butcher for another.
The people in the middle are the ones who suffer.
"There is no Fairness, This is a Time of War."
Ibrahim, Palestinian Israeli on the Unapologetic podcast.
Let's Talk Gaza
Readers of these entries have heard things like "Gaza is an ongoing disaster for many years, with many perpetrators." Back in #29, by request, I published a "Gaza Explainer." I am going to copy it here, expand on it, and add notes.
(If I forget anything, I know I can rely on y'all to let me know.)
First: The term "refugee"
You’d think that a term like this would be clear, here in 2024. It is. If you are talking about anyone who is not Palestinian. They get their own definition.
UNRWA
An educated former politician who spent years working on the diplomacy of a Two State Solution is Dr. Anat Wilf. You can see her in short clips in #75, #76 and this 33 minute clip (that first appeared in #117):
1949: The U.N. creates a new agency, UNRWA:
It has contributed to the welfare and human development of four generations of Palestine refugees ... The descendants of Palestine refugee males, including legally adopted children, are also eligible for registration.
While redundant to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNRWA differs from UNHCR in several respects. For example, even when a Palestinian leaves the region and gets citizenship in Europe or the U.S., that person remains a "refugee" according to UNRWA (this is not the case under UNHCR and is counter to the definition of the word "refugee."). Also, when applied to people who are not Palestinian, "refugee" does not apply to future generations. In other words, my parents may be (or have been) refugees from Haifa/Wroclaw/Syria, but if I am born in Khan Younis/Frankfort/Milan then I am not a refugee: I am a resident or citizen (as the case may be) of Khan Younis/Frankfort/Milan unless my father is Palestinian in which case UNRWA will continue to consider me a Palestinian Refugee forever (and my children, to the 100th generation).
About %25 of the population of Gaza are "native" Gazans. They were always there. They may identify as Palestinian, Arab or Egyptian (I don't actually know). They are, generally, not polled or considered to be a separate group, but in any event they are not refugees (by anyone's definition). To whatever degree they are in the conflict, they were pulled in. However UNRWA has said, in various venues, that it does not verify applicants. Available information concludes that anyone who asks UNRWA to be considered a Palestinian Refugee is so granted, and UNRWA is clear that no one is purged from their rolls, ever.
There is a principle, the Shirky Principle, which states:
"Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution"
(Brett Stephens isn’t the only one saying UNRWA should be phased out.)
Where this landed: In today's Gaza, the IDF has found UNRWA buildings and schools used as tunnel entrances and Hamas military facilities. In fact, it became one of the operational rules of the IDF: In or next to every school, mosque. hospital and UNRWA building is a tunnel entrance. In the past few months, UNRWA buildings have been used over and over as military HQ’s by Hamas. (To say nothing of the UNRWA employees, Palestinians, who participate militarily in Hamas.)
100 Years of Gaza -- Highlights
Until 1918: Part of the Ottoman Empire (which ruled a large swath of the Middle East for centuries)
1918: Post WW-I: Ottoman Empire is over. This region is carved up by Britain and France: Britain takes control of Egypt (including the Sinai and Gaza), Palestine and parts east (such as Jordan). France controls Lebanon and Syria.
1947-48: U.N. votes to partition Palestine into Jewish and Palestinian Arab regions; Britain pulls out of Palestine.
1956: The British pull out of Egypt (and Gaza)
The Gaza Strip is now part of independent Egypt
1967: "Six Day War" Israel captures the Sinai, and along with it the Gaza strip.
1979: The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty hands Sinai back to Egypt, but Egypt does not want the Gaza Strip. It continues under Israeli administration (but not part of Israel itself).
This means that Israel is responsible for making sure it has electricity and water, for example. Also, UNRWA must now interface with Israel vis-a-vis Palestinian "refugees"
1993: Oslo Peace Accords intend the Gaza Strip to become part of an independent Palestinian state
Progress toward Palestinian sovereignty stalled by Palestinian terrorism (Intifada One and Two) and the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Rabin by a Jewish extremist.
2005: Under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel pulls out of Gaza, forcing thousands of Jewish Israelis to leave Gaza.
2007: Hamas does well in elections in Gaza but does not want to share power or be answerable to an electorate. Hamas initiates a civil war in which Hamas drives out and kills members of Fatah (the main party in the West Bank and Hamas’ political rival). Hamas is now the sole governing force within Gaza. (No elections have occurred since.)
Q: “But Hamas was elected?”
A: 17 years ago with the help of a lot of AK47’s… there hasn’t been an election since….
Hamas begins a violent “clean up Gaza” campaign. The Middle East is a place of clans—extended families that number hundreds or thousands of people. Even into the five digits. These clans organize geographically and/or economically.
Some neighborhoods of Gaza had, in the years up to 2008, descended into lawlessness, ruled by local clans/gangs. These neighborhoods were “no go” zones for most residents, NGOs and governance structures. Over a couple years, Hamas violently brought these areas under its control. This was a popular move and was one of the reasons Gazans voted for Hamas: Their motto was that they were going to clean up Gaza. They did.[1]
They also created the foundation for a terrible disaster:Over the years, violence originating from Gaza (rocket barrages on Israeli cities, attacks on the Israeli army including kidnapping soldiers) causes the physical isolation of Gaza to intensify, on both Egyptian and Israeli sides
Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza have been rocketing Israel, off and on, since 2009.
Hamas and other militant groups have attacked Israel many times over 12+ years, launching thousands of rockets, killing civilians and soldiers, and taking hostages, sometimes keeping them captive for years. (c.f. Gilad Shalit who was kept hostage for five years in Gaza by Hamas and Avera Mengistu, a mentally handicapped Israeli held by Hamas for over ten years.)
Israel has attacked Gaza a number of times in response to Hamas rocket attacks and incursions: 2008-2009; 2012; and 2014
Hamas uses its control over Gaza to generate revenue, taxing everything and everyone who comes and goes.
Hamas leadership is understood to be corrupt, having siphoned many billions for themselves and living in luxury inside and outside Gaza.
The corruption seems to be a joint Hamas-Egypt project. For example, it is estimated that in six months since October 2023, Hamas extorted over half a billion dollars from Gazans on food and cigarettes imported through the Rafah Crossing (which connects to Egypt).
For example, when the Rafah crossing was closed in May 2024 and goods were brought in via crossings to Israel, food prices fell precipitously. (When the IDF took control of the Gaza side of the crossing, Egypt refused to open its side so as not to be seen as “cooperating” with Israel.)
Since 2007, Hamas excavated tunnels for offensive and defensive military purposes.
350-500 miles of tunnels, 60 to 150 feet underground
Gazan civilians are not allowed to use them for shelter
Many have air conditioning and bathroom facilities. Even data centers have been found. Some tunnels are large enough to drive a car through
In many neighborhoods, nearly every building has a tunnel entrance
Nearly every mosque, hospital and UNRWA building has access to the tunnel network
It is a joke to say there is/was “Blockade” of Gaza. Because:
A 2010 article in The Economist (PDF here) noted:
"The tunnels that snake under Gaza's border with Egypt have multiplied so fast that supply sometimes exceeds demand."
"As a British parliamentary report recently noted, Israel officially allows Gaza to import only 73 of more than 4,000 items that are available in the strip."
Hamas stockpiled unlimited UAV's, video surveillance systems, guns, RPGs, anti-tank weapons, rockets, mines, ammunition and other armaments. (This is a Raf definition of "unlimited:" If you can arm many thousands of terrorists for nine months of war, and still be shooting rockets, your arms are unlimited.)
I use the word “terrorist deliberately: The military wing of Hamas wears civilian clothes, hides and fights from among civilians, and are counted in the Hamas casualty counts as civilian deaths. Such people, who use the Gaza population as human shields and seek to cause civilian deaths, are not soldiers or militants. They are “terrorists.” (Perhaps of Palestinians and Israelis.)
Hamas was able to build a number of factories for production of rockets and small arms ammunition
Tunnel building material and equipment is and has been, we can all see, unlimited
Many safes full of cash have been found in the tunnels. Tens of millions of dollars have been found by the IDF (how many millions more are yet undiscovered?).
In one of the video clips posted to social media by Gazans who were near a Hamas tent that was bombed, you can hear the guy holding the phone saying, "Bags of money were flying in the air..."
The “blockade” has many authors: Israel controls access to the sea and two of the three “sides” of the Strip. Since 2006, Egypt has full control of the southern border (including the Rafah crossing).
Is this a story of Israeli “control?”
Hamas controls its side of every crossing. And until several weeks ago (when the IDF went into Rafah) Hamas had many tunnels to Egypt. It is clear that Hamas has been able to smuggle everything it wants in and out (tools, weapons, explosives, people, cash and more). (Is this Israeli control?)
For Gazans to leave, they have to get permission from Hamas and pay the Hamas fee. Until the IDF went into Rafah, Gazans had to pay both Hamas and Egyptian "coordinators." (Is this Israeli control?)
The Cairo based "Hala Consulting and Tourism Services" has been charging $4,000 and up per person during the war. The media reports they have made $88 million. My math says hundreds of millions.
It may be fair to call Gaza an “open air prison.” One of the main jailers is… Hamas. Is Israel involved in controlling Gaza? Yes, because much violence originates from Gaza. Another primary jailer is Egypt.
When discussing Gaza, parking blame on Israel without acknowledging Egypt or Hamas fails to align with facts on the ground or lived reality. A Gazan is mostly surrounded/controlled by Hamas. Then by either Egypt (if facing south) or Israel (if facing north or east).
The Egypt Topic
And if we weren't deep enough, there is the often unsung role of Egypt.
While Gaza has been under Israeli military administration (in one form or another) since 1967, before that it was under Egyptian occupation.
In 2014, Egypt blew up thousands of houses in Rafah and... tunnels. Why? Because Hamas infiltrated Egypt through tunnels, killed over 30 Egyptian soldiers, and caused mayhem. (PDF here)
Hamas ran so wild in Egypt in 2014, killing soldiers and police and taking control of the Rafah area south of the Gaza border, that Egypt's response was massive. Said one Rafah resident at the time: “Rafah as a city is over,” he said. “There will be nothing left.” (PDF here)
Or, if you prefer video footage:
Egypt's firepower put a halt to Hamas' military attacks. But the smuggling picked right back up. Why? Because there are political bosses in Cairo who benefit.
Those millions that Egypt received, via the Hala "tourism" company? The boss is said to be someone close to Egyptian intelligence (PDF here).
(And I am not going to touch the fact that U.S. Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty of taking bribes from the Egyptian government or the investigation [quashed by Tr*mp appointees] into whether Tr*mp himself received $10 million from Egyptian intelligence sources. —Washington Post, PDF here.)
And Then There Is Hamas
Hamas is no friend of Palestinians or the people of Gaza.
It hijacks aid that is supposed to be distributed free. (Warehousing and taxing it.)
It enforces political fealty by beatings and bullets—even now during the war
It knows that kidnapping Israelis triggers huge military responses. So it does as much of this as it can.
And, as the Wall Street Journal reported recently (PDF here), Sinwar himself says: “…more Palestinian civilian deaths—work to his advantage.”
That the recently assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had a net worth of $5 billion, what should be read into that? (What would Mao, Castro or Che say?)
Above: Doha, Qatar: Haniyeh's wife praises him over his coffin placed in their luxury home.
She wishes him that Allah will make his path easier in the future... "You are my beloved in this world and my beloved in the next."
No tears were observed on his wife... He passed away...
Who will inherit Haniyeh's billions?
In Conclusion
There is no incentive for anyone to "solve" the problem called Gaza. The Egyptians profit massively from smuggling and "exit permits." Where refugee agencies like UNHCR work to solve the human tragedy called "refugees" UNRWA works to multiply the tragedy. On top of it all, for many years already the Arab world has internalized a form of "virtue signaling" of giving money to Gaza facing charities (thus the large number of hospitals, over 18 of them).
And the leaders of Hamas live the life of royalty in Qatar. (Even in Gaza they lived in Beverly Hills looking neighborhoods.)
Would you like to solve Gaza?
Postmark
Rafah
IDF Spokesperson:
On the Philadelphi Corridor: IDF Troops Located Dozens of Underground Tunnel Routes in the Area; A Three Meter High Tunnel Was Located
Recently, IDF troops have been working to locate and destroy underground tunnel routes in the Philadelphi area, and so far, the troops have located and destroyed dozens of routes.
At the beginning of last week, in one of the operations to locate underground tunnel routes in the Philadelphi area, a three meter high tunnel was uncovered on the Philadelphi Corridor.
At this stage, the troops are continuing with the investigation and neutralization of the underground tunnel route, as well as other large-scale routes that were found.
Al Jazeera
About that "journalist" of Al Jazeera, Ismail al-Jul?
Al Jazeera swears he is a journalist, killed by the occupation army of Israel.
Hamas records say he is a member of the Hamas Nukhba Brigade.
Both can be true... and being one of those things make him a valid military target.
(It is like Hezbollah who denies it was their missile that killed twelve Druze children in the Golan Heights... Lie when the truth is inconvenient.)
Jerusalem
Government of Israel: You failed!
Returning the hostages | Security | Sharing the Burden [e.g. drafting Haredim] | Unity of the People
Residents of the Jerusalem area demand ELECTIONS NOW!
Relief Area
Alef
Explainer: The October 7 attack fell on the happy holiday of Simchas Torah. It made a happy day black. In a few days, on August 12 and 13 is the holy day of Tisha Bav, a day of mourning. The above says: Since the happy day was made a day of mourning, perhaps the day of mourning can be made happy.
(There is a concern that Hizbollah and/or Iranian retaliation will fall on Tisha Bav, as Hamas and Iran like to leverage symbolic days.)
Bet
The guys in the Iranian opposition are in a good mood today in light of the assassinations... This is their version of the "Haniyeh Kebab".
Gimmel
The Iranian opposition mocks the regime's "hollow threats" to attack Israel.
Dalet: The Mossad Is Everywhere...
Hey: Our Current Situation...
Waiting for Hezbollah's retaliation.
Olympic medals!!
Waiting for Hezbollah's retaliation.
Vav
(c.f. The Sde Teiman incident) Source: Haaretz Editorial Cartoon. (The military prosecutor has asked to extend the pretrial detention of at least five of the alleged perpetrators.)
Zayin
Chet
Tet
(Raf’s Take: McDonalds is a corporation and could give a fuck about Israel. A few restaraunts does not support make.... But whatever, McDonalds is on some "boycott because… Israel" list.)
Yod: Pizza Box, Jerusalem
We DO NOT deliver—This is just a picture
Chaf
(Convenient to name someone already targeted by Israel... perhaps not many sought the position?)
Lammed
A Gazan Facebook user responds to the appointment of Yahya Sinwar as the leader of Hamas:
"Come out, brother... come out... they chose you as the leader of the movement... for Allah's sake, come out... so we can congratulate you... just come out already."
Onward and upward.
To peace,
Raf
(Thank you A.K., M.T., R.A., D.K.)
[1] Some detail on life in Gaza is from the interview with former Gazan Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, April 2025.