Hamas Free Zones in Gaza

Preparing for "the Day After"

With all the pressure on Israel to supply Gaza with food and fuel it is time Israel took the issue into its own hands.   While videos abound with Hamas commandeering most of the food and fuel for their own terrorists the West still insists that Israel allow more “humanitarian aid” into Gaza.   The problem of course is that for the West,  UN, the Arab world and the Red Cross “humanitarian aid” means sending food, gasoline, water and medicines to Gaza irrespective of where it ends up.  The idea is to increase the number of aid trucks that go into Gaza so they can show everyone how much they care, not to help the people of Gaza. Since most of it ends up supplying Hamas itself this humanitarian aid  is really “military aid”.   The women and children of Gaza do not get much or any of it.

What is a solution to this?  Since no one in the West or the Arab world is willing to make sure that Hamas does not commandeer the aid for itself and sell at exorbitant prices what it doesn’t need, Israel should start to setup “Hamas Free Zones” guarded by Israel and managed by acceptable humanitarian aid organizations.  Ideally these would be in Egyptian Sinai across from Rafah,  but Egypt has refused to help their Arab brothers no matter what bribes are offered to them.   These “Hamas Free Zones” in Gaza would be open to all woman and children in Gaza who are not members of Hamas.  The separation of women and children from men has a precedent in the “hostage deal” so let’s continue it here, too.

Who ought not to be involved in this effort?  The UN in general and UNRWA in particular have eliminated themselves from consideration due to their open support for Hamas.  The Red Cross could potentially be the group that can take responsibility along with groups like Doctors without Borders since both have practical experience.    The Red Cross – which refused to bring medicine to the hostages and has not insisted on visiting them in spite of written agreements stooped even lower when they invited the families of hostages to a meeting only to harangue them on the plight of the Gazans.   But due to the lack of other big-money aide organizations they may be the best of the worst. 

Funding of course ought to come from Arab countries– the same Arab countries who secretly want Hamas destroyed while publicly condemning israel for doing what needs to be done to destroy it.  

From a strategic point of view, Israel needs to take the lead on this and create these zones from areas it has cleared of terrorist presence if it wants “the day after” to look better than “the day before”.

Currently Israel has declared the Beit Lahia area (this should be followed by the Jabalia area in a week or two) to be “Hamas free” and Defense Minister Galant hinted that Israel might be ready to let people return.   That would be a mistake unless it involved international funding and management.  Israel should not be tempted into setting up a civil administration there and should definitely not allow the Palestinian Authority to administer the area.   There has been talk of PA members that already live in Gaza administering it but that too would be a mistake.   They are as unpopular there as Israel and are as corrupt as PA and Hamas “civil” authorities.  

source: Google maps

Israel needs to continue its military operation in Gaza without getting bogged down in non-military details.   It can setup perimeters which are Hamas free and be able to check all goods sent in.   It should take 100% responsibility for all security and it can approve pre-fab building and allow hospitals and schools to work that are OUTSIDE of not only Hamas but UN/UNRWA auspices.   A main goal for “the day after” for Israel has to be not only no Hamas or other terror groups, but to dismantle UNRWA globally as well.  They are the feeder organization and educators of four generations of terrorists – and in Gaza, Hamas terrorists and they have to be defunded and closed down.

As we stated, the first phase should include only women and children who are not related to Hamas members.    Then, in phase two,  male relations can be let in on a case by case basis so long as they contribute positively to the building and maintenance of the zone.   Once there is some stability and the semblance of a running economy Israel can move to its third phase where we have outlined here.   These phases can be executed as areas become “Hamas free”.  

But Israel must act now in order to provide true humanitarian aid to non-Hamas Gazans replacing what is, in fact, military aid to Hamas terrorists.   Israel needs to stay one step ahead of the civil administration game so as to establish working facts on the ground:  Hamas free zones in Gaza.