Taking Rafah Is Essential to Defeat Hamas

Ever notice how it is always deemed a humanitarian imperative to let Hamas survive? The diplomatic pressure on Israel to stay out of Rafah, Hamas’s final stronghold, has become enormous. Hezbollah has escalated its attacks, and warnings descend daily from the White House, Europe and the Middle East, plus the United Nations-NGO complex.

The argument that there are too many civilians in Rafah, so Israel can’t fight the terrorists among and beneath them, captures the essence of Hamas’s military doctrine—and bows to it. The same argument was made about the hospitals, Gaza City and Khan Younis. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it Sunday, “Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah are basically saying lose the war, keep Hamas there.”

Mr. Netanyahu and his military chief have already said that civilians will be evacuated from Rafah before Israel advances. Safe zones and a corridor out are being designated. There is plenty of empty space between Rafah and Khan Younis to its north, and the plan is to set up tent cities, perhaps with Egypt’s help. This will delay Israel, especially if the U.N. resists the evacuation again, but it’s the right thing to do.