Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced in a statement that the army is "prepared" for an operation in Rafah, as well as for the "evacuation of the civilian population."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for a military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. A statement issued by his office said that the Israeli army is "prepared for the operational side and for the evacuation of the population", but did not provide further details or any time frame.
Army spokesman Arye Shalicar said Hamas leaders are suspected to be in the town on the border with Egypt, along with many remaining fighters from the Islamic terror group.
Various international politicians tried to persuade Netanyahu to back off from ordering the Israeli army operation in Rafah, which is believed to be home to some 1.5 million Palestinians who have fled other parts of Gaza.
Spokesman Shalicar said that civilians will be evacuated to safer places such as the al-Mavasi camp, insisting that: "this is what we have done in recent months and this is exactly how we will act in the case of Rafah."
However, aid groups continue to express their concern about the possibility of evacuating over 1 million refugees.
During a visit to Austria, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters (10.03.) that so far he had not yet seen any plans for an Israeli military operation in Rafah. Blinken added that any such plan must be "clear and workable" and ensure that civilians are not harmed.