The army’s X social media account issued a statement on the issue.
The statement said that Halevi approved plans to continue the war in the Gaza Strip after talks with Major General Yaron Finkelman, commander of Israel’s Southern District, and other commanders.
According to Israel’s “Walla” website, during the talks, the Chief of General Staff approved operational plans to occupy Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister, said today that the government headed by Binyamin Netanyahu has no right to exist unless it occupies Rafah.
Rafah, a refuge for displaced Palestinians
The city of Rafah, located south of Gaza on the border with Egypt, was home to about 280,000 Palestinians before the Israeli attacks. Israel’s attacks on October 7 displaced 1.9 million people in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million.
Most of the displaced Palestinians took refuge in Rafah, which Israel had previously claimed was “safe”. The population of Rafah has more than quadrupled to 1.5 million, with arrivals from the northern areas.
Most of the Palestinians who took refuge in Rafah due to the lack of adequate housing are struggling to survive in makeshift tent camps.
Israeli forces frequently target Rafah city with airstrikes. There is concern that if Israel launches a ground offensive on Rafah, civilians will have no shelter in the Gaza Strip.
On February 9, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu instructed the Israeli army and security services to “prepare an attack plan on Rafah”.
