S8 Ep295: THE BATTLE FOR RAFAH AND THE FUTURE OF HAMAS Colleague Seth Frantzman. The discussion focuses on the strategic importance of Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border, identified as the primary artery for Hamas's weapons smuggling. Fra

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🗓️ 10 January 2026

⏱️ 7 minutes

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Summary

THE BATTLE FOR RAFAH AND THE FUTURE OF HAMAS Colleague Seth Frantzman. The discussion focuses on the strategic importance of Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border, identified as the primary artery for Hamas's weapons smuggling. Frantzman argues that Israel must control this border to prevent Hamas from rearming, noting Egypt's failure to secure the area effectively. Regarding Hamas leadership, Frantzman speculates that Yahya Sinwar remains in Khan Yunis, refusing to leave his hometown. While Hamas's organized battalions have been significantly degraded, Frantzman warns that without a comprehensive political strategy, the group could transition back to an insurgency, similar to the Viet Cong. OCTOBER 7 WAR BY SETH FRANTZMAN NUMBER 4
1891 NAZARETH

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is CBSI on the world.
0:05.4	I'm John Patchley with Seth Franzman of the Jerusalem Post,
0:08.8	the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies,
0:10.9	where you can find his postings at the Long War Journal.
0:15.8	Frequently, Seth is always there filing on the war that is moving quickly now to another phase,
0:23.7	but we're staying with what we've learned in the Gaza War.
0:26.6	The book is the October 7 War.
0:29.0	We come to Rafa in the south.
0:32.2	All of us have experience with Rafa.
0:33.9	I was in Rafa in 2004 with the IDF when the Philadelphia corridor was a barrier.
0:40.8	And there were guard posts along the way. And it was my memory of the Golanian Brigade and the D-9s clearing a pathway outside.
0:48.2	They were still building it. And my guardpost came under attack. The Hamas or whatever they were out there opened fire.
0:56.1	This is before Hamas took over the hole of Gaza.
0:59.0	But they were gunmen.
1:00.6	And the IDF just went to their firing holes and opened up back.
1:03.8	The only time I've ever stood in the middle of a firefight not knowing quite what to do,
1:08.6	I remember it vividly.
1:10.6	Rafa is a wrecked town,
1:12.6	half in Egypt, half in Gaza. Yet we've discovered underneath tunnels. Now, the big question is,
1:21.2	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
1:30.1	about that because many of the tunnels are closed down or not used, and there is the Rafa crossing.
1:36.9	Seth, they're debating this all the time now, and we've talked about it. Is there a resolution
	...

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