This is CBSi and the world. I'm John Batcher with Seth Fransman of the Jerusalem Post, the

Foundation for the Defense of democracies where you can find his postings at the Long War Journal frequently.

Seth is always there filing on the war that is moving quickly now to another phase but we're staying with what we've learned

in the Gaza War. The book is the October 7th War. We come to Raffa in the South. All of us have experience with Raf. I was in Raf in 2004 with the

IDF when the Philadelphia corridor was a barrier and there were guard posts along the way and it was my memory of the Galani Brigade and the D-9s clearing a pathway outside.

They were still building it.

And my guard post came under attack. The Hamas or whatever they were out there opened fire.

This is before Hamas took over the whole of Gaza.

But they were gunman.

And the IDF just went to their firing holes and opened up back.

The only time I've ever stood in the middle of a firefight not knowing quite what to do.

I remember it vividly.

Raffa is a wrecked town, half in Egypt, half in Gaza, yet we've discovered underneath tunnels.

Now the big question is, were those tunnels the explanation for the arming of Hamas and the transfer of people

in and out of Gaza?

There's a new question about that because many of the tunnels are closed down are not used and there is the

Rafa crossing. Seth, they're debating this all the time now and we've talked about

it. Is there a resolution in sight? Will Israel leave the RAP Philadelphia corridor

unguarded except for the Egyptians or will it stay? And what about the RFA

crossing? What can we say about all those trucks coming through for years?

And as you just pointed out back even 20 years ago the terrorist groups in Gaza always

understood that the border with Egypt is the place to

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