Israeli officials admit: IDF has no concrete plan for Rafah invasion - report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his call for the IDF to draw up a plan for evacuating Palestinian civilians from the southermost city in the Strip.

 Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, February 20, 2024 (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip, February 20, 2024
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Israeli officials have privately admitted that the IDF has no "precise" strategy for the invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

Bloomberg reported that "officials acknowledge in private they have no precise strategy for how to [attack in Rafah], how long it will take or where the people will go."

Speaking to Bloomberg on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his call for the IDF to draw up a plan for evacuating Palestinian civilians from the southermost city in the Strip.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, on February 18, 2024 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, on February 18, 2024 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Egypt: Israel must tread carefully before deciding on Rafah offensive

Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that Egypitan officials told Israeli counterparts to "carefully study any step" before launching a military offensive into Rafah. 

The officials told their Israeli counterparts that encroaching into Rafah would "increase the risk to the lives of" the 132 hostages remaining in Gaza, and called on the IDF to "prepare to bear the consequences" of such invasion.