The statement said the military was “ready for combat.”
Jerusalem:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday he had approved the military’s plan for an operation in Rafah, where most residents of war-torn Gaza have sought asylum.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Netanyahu “approved the action plan” in Rafah, but gave no details or timeline.
The military “is prepared for operations and personnel evacuations,” the statement said.
Rafah is the last major population center that has not suffered a ground attack during Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by an unprecedented attack by militants on 7 October on southern Israel.
The attack killed about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli data.
Israel’s retaliatory military operations to eliminate Hamas have killed at least 31,490 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled areas.
US President Joe Biden, who has supported Israel during the war, recently said an Israeli invasion of Rafah would be a “red line” without a credible civilian protection plan.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Vienna on Friday that Washington had not yet seen any plan for Operation Rafah but reiterated its desire for a “clear and implementable plan” to ensure civilians “are kept from harm.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
