The Airlift
Rafah’s burning role within the Gaza conflict moves closer to the front lines as Ramadán’s annual observance ends. The Muslim holy month began on March 10 and concludes on April 9. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Hamas could be destroyed only to see a reorganization of the 20 percent that remains in Gaza, if only 80 percent were eliminated. He spoke before Israel’s Knesset on Tuesday the 19th, stressing that partial victories do not secure lasting control over the territory.
Netanyahu referenced a phone call from the previous day, March 18, with U.S. President Joe Biden. He claimed there were disagreements about a ground invasion of Rafah rather than a general insistence on eliminating Hamas. He also noted that, out of respect for the president, a process was agreed in which senior Biden administration officials could offer opinions, particularly on humanitarian aid and civilian evacuation.
The White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, later clarified that the United States advises against the ground operation Israel has planned. The central concern is that more than a million Palestinians have moved from the north toward Rafah since October 7 under military pressure. Crossing into Egypt could strain Egypt-Israel relations, and a ground offensive there would, Sullivan argued, cause further civilian casualties, deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, and isolate Israel internationally.
Biden pressed Netanyahu about whether Israel was doing everything possible to improve public diplomacy among American citizens, to which the Israeli leader reportedly replied that it was not the case. He added that the bigger hurdle involved manpower and communication: people struggle to string two coherent words together. He also blamed platforms like TikTok for the powerful pro-Palestinian messaging in the United States.
In practice, Israeli public diplomacy has targeted members of the U.S. House and Senate with criticism of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and alleged participation by some of its staff in the Hamas-led aftermath of the October 7 attacks, although no direct evidence has been presented publicly. This framing reflects a broader strategy to shape American opinion in a polarized environment.
The Biden administration’s support has been reinforced through arms sales deemed vital to the Gaza war effort. Washington has exercised a veto on multiple occasions at the United Nations Security Council to prevent a formal cease-fire. Reports from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post indicate that the administration has quietly approved around 100 arms deals with Israel since the conflict began, with contracts potentially totaling up to $23 billion. Only two publicly disclosed foreign arms sales to Israel have been reported since the conflict started: about $106 million in tank ammunition and $147.5 million in components for 155-millimeter projectiles. These disclosures drew scrutiny for bypassing Congress under emergency authority.
In contrast, the airlift has faced less visibility. It has operated steadily to deliver weapons to Israel, with about 140 heavy transport aircraft reportedly taking off from U.S. bases around the world, heading to Nevatim Air Base in southern Israel near Beersheba. Aircraft arriving there included C-17s from Dover, Ramstein, and Al Udeid, alongside armaments arriving by sea through cargo ships.
On March 6, South Africa approached the International Court of Justice in The Hague seeking urgent protective measures as the Gaza-Rafah crisis intensified, following a prior rejection on February 16. The U.N. secretary-general warned that recent events in Gaza could dramatically worsen a humanitarian crisis with regional consequences, urging immediate and effective provisional measures ordered by the court on January 26. At the time of that order, around 25,000 people had died, a figure that later grew to more than 31,800 by March 19, with the majority being women and children. South Africa’s lawyers argued before the court that it should act now to save Palestinians from genocide and starvation. In quiet fashion, the court’s intervention to halt the worst of the violence has remained a central, contentious issue in international diplomacy.
Amid the mounting casualties, public rhetoric and strategic messaging continue to shape both regional responses and global opinion. The unfolding events in Rafah underscore the fragility of humanitarian corridors and the limits of international diplomacy in a conflict that has drawn in actors across continents. The situation remains fluid, with humanitarian concerns, strategic interests, and political calculations all intertwining in a high-stakes scenario that invites continued scrutiny from observers around the world.
Es Rafah, ¡estúpido!