Rafah hoax: Netanyahu’s pretext for Gaza bloodshed

 Netanyahu’s latest airstrikes on Gaza appear less a direct response to Hamas and more a continuation of “Israel’s” longstanding policy of manufacturing pretexts to justify genocide. Despite initial hesitation amid US resistance, Netanyahu proceeded with the strikes after citing an alleged attack on Israeli troops in Rafah, an incident that proved false. On October 19, the Gaza ceasefire appeared to have collapsed after the Zionist regime launched over 100 airstrikes, dropping at least 153 tons of explosives across the besieged coastal enclave, and killing around 104 civilians. Yet, it wasn’t long until American, Palestinian and even Israeli reporters began to reveal the truth. In reality, while Israeli soldiers, alongside settlers contracted for demolition work, were violating the ceasefire by destroying Palestinian infrastructure, they accidentally drove over an unexploded ordnance. This meant that the Israelis had, in essence, killed their own soldiers by violating the ceasefire and sending their forces to destroy infrastructure within what was effectively an active minefield, then blaming the Palestinians as a pretext to kill more civilians. Up until that point, the Israelis had already committed at least 80 ceasefire violations and killed more than 100 innocent people. Hamas issued a statement denying any connection to the incident in Rafah.

Israel” had been prepared to escalate militarily regardless of the Rafah incident. Netanyahu had already been seeking a green light from Trump for limited military action prior to the Rafah incident. Hours later, Netanyahu convened a smaller security cabinet meeting, where he approved the resumption of airstrikes and the expansion of the so-called “Yellow Line”, a buffer of Israeli control within Gaza. The White House and the Pentagon were quickly aware that the blast was caused by a bulldozer operated by an Israeli settler company running over unexploded ordnance, slamming Netanyahu’s claim that Hamas fighters had popped up from tunnels. Footage had also shown Israeli excavators destroying what remains of damaged buildings in Rafah, further supporting the claims. After Netanyahu falsely attributed the explosion to specifically Hamas, and responded by blocking aid into Gaza and launching a large bombing campaign, the US immediately conveyed to “Israel” that it knew the true cause. Shortly after, Netanyahu announced the reopening of crossings into Gaza, and the Israeli occupation’s military command said it would reinstate the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Hamas has repeatedly informed mediators that it was struggling to recover bodies buried under tons of rubble, a result of previous Israeli airstrikes, due to a severe lack of heavy equipment and some bodies being in areas under Israeli military control. The Ministry reported that since the ceasefire in Gaza was declared on October 11, 2025, at least 110 people have been killed, 472 bodies recovered, and 344 others injured, while noting that identification has so far been completed for 75 of the 195 bodies returned by the occupation authorities. Observers argue that the recent airstrikes, launched amid diplomatic pressure and lacking verified justification, fit a broader pattern in which “Israel” prepares offensives in advance and seizes upon convenient triggers to justify them. The expansion of the Yellow Line, like past incursions, signals a strategic goal: to deepen control while undermining the credibility of ceasefire agreements. In order to understand the Israeli-US agenda underlying the so-called “peace plan” set forth by Trump, it is important to examine the objectives of the Zionist regime and then assess how these aims might be realized. Such an analysis helps reveal what the future may hold and whether the fragile ceasefire is likely to endure. From day one of the ceasefire, the Israelis had also adopted a strategy of outsourcing the Gaza front’s combat operations to three ISIS-linked proxy militias – each stationed in different areas behind the Israeli imposed ‘Yellow Line’ – instead of engaging Hamas directly. The Zionist regime began pursuing a policy of using these proxy forces to carry out assassinations and ambushes against prominent figures and members of Gaza’s security apparatus.

The Israeli strategy, backed by the United States is to begin using reconstruction funds, to build structures behind the Yellow Line, which represents around 54-58% of Gaza’s territory where the occupation refuses to withdraw and works alongside its proxies to control the enclave. At the same time, the Israelis sought to strangle the civilian population living in areas under the Hamas-led civil authority, while offering them the alternative of living under the joint Israeli-collaborator occupation. This strategy has already begun to crumble, as many of the families which the Zionist Entity sought to co-opt have sided with the resistance and rejected the collaborators in the midst. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Resistance continues to pursue these collaborator death squads and prosecutes them for their various crimes, including acts like murder and aid theft. Like other similar strategies proposed by the Israeli regime and green lit by their American backers, this one is likely to fail under pressure and does not make logical sense given the realities on the ground and the fact that the Zionist proxies have no popular support. So, then, what do the US-Israeli alliance have in store? It is quite simple, they are seeking to achieve some of their goals under the guise of a ceasefire, which they only partially respect by allowing in limited aid supplies and killing less people than they did prior to the so-called “peace deal”.  If they fail to achieve their aims through limited military measures and aggressive maneuvers dressed up as diplomacy, they will resort to full-scale force, because “peace” is not an option.

The Gaza Miracle!

A British military expert says: There is a hidden force in Gaza. The continuation of the war cannot be due to Hamas fighters”. An American military expert says: “America and European countries have financed weapons to Israel, and the weapons transferred are sufficient to annihilate an area ten times the size of Gaza, equivalent to six nuclear bombs, enough to incinerate the earth and render it completely uninhabitable. He adds: “The skies over Gaza are crowded with spy planes of all types: Israeli, American, British, French, and German, which accurately and professionally capture every movement on the surface of the earth.” But it’s strange how these fighters go out and destroy army vehicles, kill, snipe, plant explosives, and set up ambushes that have resulted in the destruction of nearly a third of the army’s vehicles and thousands of deaths and injuries, while the aircraft only detect a very small number of them”. Another says: “The area of ​​the Gaza Strip is 365 square kilometers, and the area of ​​densely populated housing is equivalent to 75% of Gaza’s area. The air force has bombarded with tens of thousands of missiles, tens of thousands of bombs, and artillery shells from land and sea, as well as drones, F-15 and F-35 aircraft, and Apache helicopters. There is no weapon left that hasn’t been used in massive and excessive quantities. I’ve watched videos of children in Gaza playing with unexploded rockets.” And another said: “My dear, there is a miracle. There are fighters we don’t see. It’s divine providence. Look how we see the fighter go to the vehicle and place the bomb on it with such strength and determination. It’s terrifying and very frightening. He fights with determination and will succeed.

Look how the children play with the rockets without fear. If it were in our country or any advanced country, they would summon the special weapons battalion, along with the engineering corps and explosives experts. Tell me, who is protecting these children? It’s divine providence. The fighters have succeeded in reversing some of these rockets and detonating many vehicles in a single ambush”. “These are not human beings like us. Where did they receive this unparalleled training”?

Israel has entangled itself in a war it cannot win.

Gaza has exposed the world

Palestine is the rock on which the West will break itself. The Gaza genocide has exposed the world. It has shown who the monsters are. It has shown who stands on the right side of justice, morality, history etc. It has also exposed the true face of Zionism, especially to the citizens of the West. It was the first genocide live-streamed in history. This left the Zionists and their supporters no place to hide. They could not defend Israel and Zionism anymore. The people have caught on to their lies. It also exposed the corrupt leadership amongst the Arab and Muslim countries- whose citizens are boiling mad about Gaza.

It destroyed the myth that Israel is invincible. Most importantly, it exposed the fact that the US is the real driver of war in the Middle East. It also exposed the open support from the father of Zionism-Britain- home base of the British Rothschild’s. Most importantly, Gaza showed its people who stands with them- it is the peoples of the world. Gaza has gained the support of 80 % of the world. The exceptions are India, the Christian evangelical groups, the Christian Zionists and the racists in the West, along with the vast majority of Jews and Hindus. Over time, these racists and haters will be the losers.

Conclusion

But Hamas’s rejection is not about survival or political continuity – it is about safeguarding the very idea and practice of resistance. Accepting exile would mark not just Hamas’s end, but the liquidation of Palestinian armed struggle across all factions. Worse still, surrender would not prevent mass displacement, but would accelerate it. The collapse of Gaza would send shockwaves through the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the 1948 territories, heralding the final act of the Palestinian cause. Hamas has resolved to continue the fight regardless of the cost. “If we are to be eliminated, let it be in an honorable battle, not in exile.” They cite the Sabra and Shatilla camps in Beirut as a grim lesson: once the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) left Lebanon, the residents of the defenseless camps were butchered. The difference now is that Hamas is on its own land, among its own people. Palestinian politics remain split: Hamas in Gaza, the PA in Ramallah, no unified mandate, and no security architecture either side can enforce. Recognitions by Western governments have stacked up this month, but these are largely symbolic without movement on borders, security, and Israeli domestic politics.  Even if the UN General Assembly backs statehood, Security Council dynamics and U.S. positions block full membership. And Israel will still control the borders, airspace, water, food, and energy. Leverage is on the Israeli side, and external recognition does not change the facts on the ground. Israel’s endorsement of Trump’s proposal is undermined by its actions on the ground. While Netanyahu publicly supports the plan, the Israeli military continues its operations in Gaza, including targeted assassinations and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. These actions contradict the spirit of the proposal, which ostensibly calls for a phased withdrawal and the release of hostages.

Moreover, Israel has refused to commit to the full terms outlined in the plan, particularly those involving the transfer of Gaza’s administration to a Palestinian technocratic body. Netanyahu’s government has issued statements suggesting that any such transition must be vetted by Israeli security agencies — a move that effectively nullifies Palestinian sovereignty and reasserts Israeli control under the guise of coordination. This strategic dissonance reveals a deeper fissure between the U.S. and Israel. While Trump seeks a legacy-defining peace accord, Netanyahu appears more invested in preserving Israel’s military leverage and domestic political capital. His maneuvering reflects a familiar pattern: endorsing peace frameworks for international optics while sabotaging their implementation through on-the-ground escalation and bureaucratic obstruction. Hamas, recognizing this duplicity, has chosen to engage with regional and international mediators rather than rely solely on U.S.-Israeli channels. Its response to Trump’s proposal — conditional, consultative, and grounded in international law — exploits the contradictions within the alliance and repositions Hamas as a diplomatic actor navigating asymmetrical terrain with strategic precision.

In conclusion, Hamas’s conditional refusal has disrupted the diplomatic script in ways armed resistance alone could not. By accepting the frame of negotiation while rejecting its coercive content — its asymmetrical terms, deferred sovereignty, and juridical traps — Hamas has exposed the hollow core of a peace process never designed to deliver sovereignty. The spectacle has been broken. No longer shielded by diplomatic theater, the world must now witness not a managed surrender, but a real, messy, and strategically fraught political struggle — one whose outcome will redefine the balance of power and the meaning of resistance in the Middle East for years to come. The battle continues – and Hamas intends to face it, not flee it.

The West Bank

As soon as the Gaza ceasefire was implemented – only to truly be respected by Hamas and violated on a daily basis by the Zionist regime – the Israelis instantly launched what they call “Operation Iron Wall” in the northern occupied West Bank. The goal of this West Bank invasion is to collectively punish the entire population. Israeli plans to fragment the occupied West Bank into autonomous city-states, and replacing it with local councils. The blueprint begins in Hebron (Al-Khalil), where Israel intends to install a compliant local leadership working directly with the occupation. The plan was reportedly discussed during a secret Abu Dhabi meeting that brought together West Bank Jewish settlement leaders and Emirati officials at a Ramadan iftar. Abu Dhabi’s role appears increasingly active – amplifying PA corruption accusations while building direct ties with the Jewish settler movement, bypassing Israel’s own government. This calculated outreach undermines any pretense that normalization with the Arab world might lead to Palestinian statehood. Meanwhile, the United States recently made the decision to de-fund the Palestinian Authority’s Security Forces in the West Bank.  Initially, it appeared as if the Palestinian Authority (PA) would still have been allowed to remain in power inside the territory under such a scenario, which would have likely amounted to an annexation of Area C and parts of Area B, while leaving the PA to rule over the major population centers in Area A/B. However, the PA appears to have failed its test after it launched an assault against the Palestinian Resistance in the Jenin Refugee Camp for over 40 days, proving itself incapable of dismantling the Jenin Brigades there. Now, it is going to pay the price of losing US financial assistance.

The Zionist entity understands well that the Palestinian people are not going to just pack up and leave, even if some are violently expelled, the majority will remain, therefore their plan is very clear, they want an internationally led force that manages the occupation of the Palestinians for Israel. The idea of the Israelis having de-facto control over territory, while it is run by their proxies, in order to manage populations that are not desirable to them, appears to be the goal. Therefore, destroying the Palestinian Authority (PA) would mean that Palestine has no seat at the UN, meanwhile they are now destroying UNRWA with the help of their Western allies, which means the agency that registers Palestinian refugee status is being killed. The next step would then be to bring in an external proxy administration/administration in order to govern the Palestinian people in their Bantustans. And now, PA-style tactics of ground and home attacks against the homes and families of Resistance fighters are being tested, reminiscent of the home invasions and home sabotage undertaken by the comprador authority against the Palestinian Resistance factions in the West Bank. The US helped push for the infiltration of PA-aligned spies into Gaza, sent in by the Authority’s intelligence chief. This easily failed and was thwarted by Hamas, as sovereign Gazan authorities managed to maintain control over the enclave despite the Israeli targeted killings, genocide, and complete destruction of infrastructure.

On January 5, Palestinian Resistance forces confiscated an RPG used by the Palestinian Authority – loyally acting as “Israel’s” ground force in blowing up homes in Jenin. PA-backed gunmen routinely storm into the homes, neighborhoods, and familiar routes of Resistance fighters and resistant intellectuals alike – executing the dirty work on the ground that “Israel” does afar from the air.

Land grabs continue

In August, the occupation approved the controversial E1 settlement plan, the construction of 3,400 units near Ma’ale Adumim.  This E1would sever the northern and southern West Bank, further isolating east Jerusalem and delivering what many see as a final blow to the already imperiled two-state solution. The proposal, revived and advanced in 2025, aims to link Ma’ale Adumim more closely to occupied al-Quds while encircling East al-Quds with Israeli residential, industrial, and commercial developments. Such measures would isolate East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and divide the West Bank into two disconnected regions, undermining the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state. “Israel” has approved the construction of 1,300 new settlement units in the Gush Etzion bloc, south of occupied East Jerusalem, in what marks another major across the occupied West Bank. The announcement comes just days after Trump dismissed concerns about “Israel’s” West Bank actions, stating, “Don’t worry about the West Bank. Israel’s not going to do anything with the West Bank,” during an October 24 press briefing. This comes after a rare warning from MBZ of Abu Dhabi. He informed Trump that any moves to annex the West Bank will kill off the Abrahamic Accords, kill off normalization with Israel, and that Israel will face a unified Arab world on this issue. For once, the Arabs stood up, and both the US and the Rothschild’s backed off.

Since late 2022, “Israel” has advanced plans for approximately 48,000 settlement units, averaging 17,000 units per year, a pace not seen in previous administrations. At this time, plans were being finalized between the 2 families regarding Gaza. Israel would use the coming war in Gaza as a distraction from the West bank, and that it’s building new settlements would not attract any attention. Smotrich has triggered a wave of reactions after he unveiled a controversial plan to annex the vast majority of occupied territory. Under the proposal, only six isolated enclave – where major Palestinian cities such as Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, Ramallah, Jericho and Hebron are located – would remain outside of Israeli control. All other areas, including dozens of towns and villages, would be formally annexed. According to the plan, the Palestinian Authority (PA) – which was established under the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO – would be gradually dismantled. In its place, Smotrich suggested the establishment of “regional civilian management alternatives”. If the PA were to resist, it would be “destroyed”, he warned. “Judea and Samaria are not disputed territory; they are the inheritance of our ancestors for generations,” Smotrich said. “There will never, and can never be, a Palestinian state in our land.”

The minister presented a map illustrating the proposal, which bore the official logo of the Ministry of Defense. Reactions to the map have been circulating online, with many saying that Israel is “its plans of completely absorbing the occupied West Bank.

Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat, wrote on the social platform X that “annexation is a red line.” He linked to a Times of Israel story that quoted another Emirati diplomat, Lana Nusseibeh, as saying annexation would “severely undermine the vision and spirit of (Abraham) Accords, end the pursuit of regional integration and would alter the widely shared consensus on what the trajectory of this conflict should be — two states living side by side in peace, prosperity and security.”

If Israel’s settlement plan goes through, the West Bank will soon cease to exist. Netanyahu officially approved a settlement plan last week and announced his intentions to green light other settlements just like it. Together, these plans would end the West Bank as a geographic and political entity.

“There will be no Palestinian state,” Netanyahu declared, attending a ceremony in the heart of the West Bank held at the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. He had come to formally approve the wide-ranging settlement project that would be built over a strategic tract of land separating the northern half of the West Bank from the south. It would effectively split the West Bank in two. The ceremony at Maale Adumim made it official. The project will cost 3billion shekels (nearly $900 million) to build 7,600 housing units in Maale Adumim, 3,400 of which will be in the E1 area. Although it is only now moving forward, the E1 plan has been at least two decades in the making. The only thing that has stopped its implementation has been diplomatic obstacles that would open up Israel to accusations of preventing a Palestinian state. Those accusations don’t carry any weight anymore, because Israel is already openly embracing them. The timing of Netanyahu’s approval of the E1 project is no coincidence. It comes as a clear response to the wave of global announcements of the intention to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly meeting on September 22. It also comes on the heels of Smotrich’s for the proposed wholesale annexation of the West Bank, intending to leave just a few Palestinian cities as isolated and caged ghettoes under full Israeli control. These moves were an act of defiance of by Israel to the US. Israel often acts like a spoilt brat, when it is refused something it desires. This type of behavior is a recurring theme between Israel and the US. Until Israel is squeezed by Washington, it won’t give up its dreams of annexing the West Bank.

After E1: everything

As originally conceived, the plan seeks to link Jerusalem to the Maale Adumim settlement east of the city. It aims to build the settlements on top of 1,200 hectares of Palestinian land, which would be confiscated from the towns of Anata, al-Tour, Issawiyya, Aizariyeh, and Abu Dis.

Speaking at the approval ceremony last week, Netanyahu said that “there will be more cities like Maale Adumim.” Then he dropped another bombshell. “Israel’s eastern front is not Maale Adumim, but the Jordan Valley,” he said. In other words, Israel is planning on annexing almost the entire West Bank, crucially including the Jordan Valley as the “breadbasket” of any future Palestinian state and the ultimate guarantor of what the Israeli security establishment calls the state’s “strategic depth.”

Israel’s plans to annex the Jordan Valley date back to the “Allon Plan,” drafted a few months after the 1967 War, when Israel first occupied the West Bank. Netanyahu revived this plan in 2019, which would see the annexation of the entire area east of a north-south route running along the borders of the Jordan Valley, aptly named “the Allon Road.”  If the Allon Plan and the E1 project are both implemented, there will be little left for Palestinians: the E1 settlements would straddle the center of the West Bank, linking up with the settlements in the Jordan Valley and creating an unbroken Israeli continuity from Jerusalem all the way to the border with Jordan. The central hills of Ramallah and Nablus would be encircled, as would the southern regions that include Bethlehem and Hebron. It means the end of the West Bank as a geographic and political unit.

Our next article is “The Irreversable Balance of Israel 2025“.