The Reservists’ Party head and former communications minister Yoaz Hendel warned on Sunday that Israel was creating an “open border” for Hamas to rebuild after the war by reopening Gaza’s Rafah Border Crossing, speaking to The Jerusalem Post.
His comments came as Gaza's Rafah Border Crossing reopened to pedestrian traffic on Sunday morning for the first time in a year.
Israel agreed to a limited reopening of the crossing under a full Israeli monitoring mechanism last week. The opening is supervised by representatives from Egypt, the European Union, and the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
Hendel emphasized that no amount of border security could prevent the message the border opening signaled throughout the Middle East, and that the situation could quickly lead to a broader border opening, allowing the terror group to rebuild.
“We’re doing a U-turn. We’re reopening the crossing through which Hamas exists, grows stronger, and builds itself up,” Hendel told the Post.
“Now we’re becoming dependent on Egypt, and soon you’ll bring in the technocrats, which is basically a cover for the fact that Hamas still has a hand in controlling the Gaza Strip," Hendel said.
Three main issues with reopening Rafah Crossing
Hendel outlined three main issues raised by reopening the Rafah Crossing.
Firstly, he said that the opening signaled to the enemy that Israel was returning to a pre-October 7 reality.
“Messaging is extremely significant in the Middle East. We learned that on October 7,” Hendel explained.
The second issue was that there was no criticism of the government from Israel’s Right regarding the decision, including from its ministers.
Hendel said that the opening was the “opposite of what was promised” by the government, and that it harms Israel’s interests.
Throughout the war, Prime Minister Netanyahu had held a firm stance against opening the border.
“There’s no criticism of it [from the Right], and that’s another step backward, and it shows that everything is politics, and in my view, that’s a huge failure,” he said.
The third issue Hendel raised was that no security mechanisms imposed by Israel could improve the situation.
“I think that opening the crossing, no matter what security mechanisms are put in place, ultimately creates a sense among the enemy that it’s possible to return to the days of smuggling and military buildup like in the past.”
Hendel said that Israel was headed in what he termed “an end of war mode,” in which “everything that happens in Gaza and elsewhere, we hear about it from foreign sources, not from the Israeli government.”
“A government that can’t say ‘I am responsible’ is a government that doesn’t know how to lead,” he concluded.
Other politicians in Israel’s opposition warned of risks that could occur by opening the Rafah Crossing, slamming the government for the decision.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) criticized Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying that they “folded as usual.”
“The Rafah Crossing was opened this morning in both directions, including the presence of representatives of the Palestinian Authority. The IDF is not there," Lapid said.
Ben-Gvir did not respond to a request for comment from The Jerusalem Post regarding the opening of the Rafah Crossing.
The Democrats leader, Yair Golan, sharply criticized the government, saying that “the opening of the Rafah Crossing today is a painful reminder of an ongoing strategic failure. Throughout the entire process, Israel failed to initiate, failed to lead, and ultimately lost control."
Golan said that the solution was for Israel to create a security system on the border to prevent smuggling, which would be based on an external actor that Israel could trust.
Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar!) said that the government was also going against its own word, after it promised “total victory.”