Israel to present Egyptians with Rafah offensive plan: Report

That evacuation is intended to prevent a mass exodus of Gazans into Egyptian territory, which would worsen already strained tensions between Jerusalem and Cairo.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel is planning to present an outline for its forthcoming incursion into Rafah to Egyptian officials, according to a Hebrew-language media report.

Rafah, a large city in the southern Gaza Strip, is widely considered a Hamas stronghold, with an Israeli official stating that believes many hostages are being held there. Two hostages were recently rescued from a residential apartment building in Rafah.

According to Ynet, Israel is reportedly gearing up to present Cairo with its plan for the invasion of Rafah, which is said to include the evacuation of civilians from the city before hostilities begin.

Egypt, which shares a border with the Strip, is concerned that an Israeli offensive in the city will lead to a large spillover of Gazan refugees into the Sinai Desert.

The Egyptian government has unequivocally refused to accept Gazan refugees from the ongoing conflict.

Images circulating on social media earlier this month showed what appeared to be a fenced-in enclosure built by the Egyptians just outside of the Gaza border fence, presumably constructed in order to prevent Gazans from fleeing deeper into Egyptian territory.

That evacuation is intended to prevent a mass exodus of Gazans into Egyptian territory, which would worsen already strained tensions between Jerusalem and Cairo.

Some senior Egyptian politicians have threatened to suspend the peace agreement with Israel, in place since 1979, should Gazan refugees

Jerusalem will also reportedly ask Egypt to coordinate efforts for building an underground barrier along its border with Gaza, in order to prevent the construction of terror tunnels leading from the Strip into the Sinai Desert.

It’s likely that Cairo will accede to that request, as it has previously gassed terrorists within the tunnels attempting to reach Egyptian territory from Gaza.

Egyptian officials have called for Israel not to invade Rafah during the forthcoming Islamic holiday of Ramadan, stating that such a move could lead to regional war.