The Long War Journal

The Israel Defense Forces opened a new crossing for aid to enter into Gaza. The crossing is called the Western Erez crossing, and it is near the coast in the area of Zikim in Israel. It enables aid to reach northwestern Gaza in addition to two other crossings that now serve northern Gaza. Meanwhile in southern Gaza, the Rafah crossing remains closed, leading to concerns about aid entering southern Gaza.

Bill and Joe discuss the current low lows of U.S.-Israel relations as Israel prepares to proceed with finishing its stated goal of defeating Hamas without the blessing of its closest ally.

The Israel Defense Forces are now operating in three areas of Gaza in a multi-pronged offensive against Hamas and other terrorist groups. The new phase of operations began on May 6 when Israel began operating in eastern Rafah. This developed into a second operation in northern Gaza on May 9 and an operation in Jabalya on May 12. Jabalya and Zaytun are in northern Gaza, and have been cleared of Hamas in the past, illustrating how quickly Hamas has returned to areas previously cleared by the IDF.

Israel’s operation in Rafah officially underway and met with the threat of pausing military aid from the Biden administration. Bill and Behnam discuss the potential consequences and ripple effects. 

Iranian-backed Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba' issued a statement warning that it would respond against Israel for attacking a site in Damascus belonging to the militia.

The Israel Defense Forces continued operations in eastern Rafah on May 9, eliminating up to 50 terrorists and uncovering ten tunnel shafts. Meanwhile, Israel’s military and political leadership reacted to comments from President Biden about the potential for pausing more munitions deliveries if Israel expands into the rest of Rafah. In Zaytun in northern Gaza, the IDF carried out its third raid in six months of ground maneuver.

On November 8, 2023, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs conducted a closed-door interview with Zalmay Khalilzad, the Former Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation and master architect of the Doha Agreement which cemented the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the IDF’s 91st division in northern Israel on May 8, where he met with the commander of the division responsible for defending the Lebanon border and vowed that Israel would return evacuated civilians to their communities along the northern border. The IDF evacuated 80,000 Israelis from the north in October 2023 due to Hezbollah attacks, and approximately 50,000 remain evacuated.

Evidence of foreign fighters operating in southern Lebanon continues to mount as the Israeli military recently killed three Syrian members of Islamic Jihad.

Israeli tanks took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt on May 7, 2024. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited IDF artillery supporting the operation and said Israel was still open to a compromise with Hamas, but that Israel would intensify operations if Hamas did not make a hostage deal. Hezbollah and Iraqi militias escalated attacks on Israel as the IDF operation in Rafah began.