Egypt Daily News - Two prominent Israeli officials confirmed on Wednesday that the expected attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip is "approaching."
An Israeli Ministry of Defense official told Reuters that the army is preparing to launch the Rafah operation "immediately" and is awaiting government approval.
An Israeli government spokesman also confirmed that "Israel will continue the process of targeting Hamas in Rafah." The spokesman added that the government will work to deport the civilians there. The two officials’ statements are in line with local press reports, which stated that the Israeli army would begin a ground invasion of Rafah soon.
Israeli media reported, on Wednesday, that Israel is preparing to send ground forces to Rafah, which it considers the last stronghold of the Hamas movement, and said that preparations are being made to evacuate the displaced Palestinians who are sheltering there.
The widely circulated newspaper "Israel Hayom" quoted an Israeli government decision, after the faltering ceasefire talks with Hamas, that the operation to invade Rafah, which was postponed for several weeks due to disagreements with Washington, will take place "very soon."
Several other Israeli media outlets published similar reports, and some pointed to footage on social media platforms that appeared to show the establishment of a tent city to receive those who will be evacuated from Rafah.
Rafah, adjacent to the Egyptian border, is filled with more than one and a half million Palestinians who fled from other areas of the Gaza Strip during the war that has been going on for more than 6 months. Their fate raises concerns among Western powers as well as Cairo, which has ruled out allowing any influx of refugees into the Egyptian Sinai.
Israel, under pressure due to the increasing humanitarian toll resulting from the war, pledged to take measures to protect civilians in Rafah. Israel says that Rafah has 4 full combat battalions affiliated with Hamas, and says that these battalions received reinforcements from thousands of the movement’s fighters withdrawing from other areas.
Benjamin Netanyahu's government insists that victory in the Gaza war will be impossible without controlling Rafah, eliminating Hamas, and recovering any hostages who may be held there.
The movement did not comment on the presence of combat brigades in the city.
