Israel may be planning Rafah operation after Eid: Report

Quoting Egyptians officials who are in contact with Israeli army officials, Lebanon's pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper said that Israel is not willing to make any new concessions to Hamas following the latest roadblock in ceasefire negotiations.

It is now reportedly planning its invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah for after Eid al-Fitr, the three-day Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan and expected to end on 12 April.

Al-Akhbar says that Israel expects the operation to last between four and eight weeks, and that it would evacuate all civilians from the city into specific inner parts of Gaza in advance. The evacuation would supposedly be monitored by Israel to make sure no Hamas fighters or hostages are hiding among the civilians, according to the Egyptian officials.

The Lebanese newspaper says that Egyptian officials are concerned that this operation will lead to a wider escalation in the entire region, and says Egyptian President al-Sisi refused a request from Israeli prime minister Netanyahu for a direct line to remain in contact.