The Israeli military has presented its assault and evacuation plans for southern Gaza's Rafah to the country's war Cabinet.
The prime minister's office late Sunday said that the military presented the war cabinet with "a plan for the evacuation of the population from the combat areas in the Gaza Strip and the upcoming operational plan."
A plan for the provision of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip was also approved "to prevent looting in the northern strip and other areas," it said. No details were given in the brief announcement.
Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians are crammed together, seeking shelter from the fighting in other parts of the sealed-off coastal area, was not explicitly mentioned in the Israeli military's announcement.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to quickly launch plans for a military offensive in Rafah despite the ongoing negotiations on a cease-fire.
He will convene the cabinet at the beginning of the week to have the operational plan authorized, he said on the weekend.
The plan will also include the evacuation of the civilian population. The working week in Israel began Sunday.
Internationally, the planned offensive on the city of Rafah, which is overcrowded with refugees, has been heavily criticized. Even allies such as the U.S. are calling on Israel to exercise restraint.
However, Netanyahu is determined to go on the offensive in Rafah. The prime minister repeatedly emphasized that it would be impossible to achieve his war goal of eliminating Hamas if it remained in Rafah.
