For all that Binyamin Netanyahu has been urging Israel’s war cabinet and the generals to bring forward the assault on Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, military leaders are reluctant.
They insist that it will take more time before such an operation can take place, with Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF) of the view that, though the battle will be necessary to conquer the last remaining stronghold of Hamas — through which arms and supplies are smuggled from Egypt — the time is not now.
Sources in the cabinet believe that Netanyahu’s insistence is mainly for show and an attempt to boost his sinking standing with the Israeli public in the polls. One senior military official said: “Rafah isn’t going anywhere. This operation can take place