Israel Has Timeline for Rafah Operation, Will Not Allow Hamas to 'Drag Its Feet' - Reports

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20240426

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israel has a clear timeline for carrying out an operation in the Gaza Strip's southernmost city of Rafah and it will not allow Palestinian movement Hamas to conduct "another round of pointless talks for the purpose of fraud," the Axios news portal reported on Friday, citing senior Israeli officials.

On Friday, a delegation of Egyptian intelligence officials paid a visit to Israel to meet with Israeli military and security officials to talk over the hostage deal and the operation in Rafah, the report said.

"Israel told Egypt that it is serious about preparations for the operation in Rafah and that it will not let Hamas drag its feet," one of the Israeli officials was quoted as saying.

The Israeli message to the Egyptian delegation that it would not engage in "another round of pointless talks for the purpose of fraud" was clear, another official said.

Therefore, Israel was ready to give the hostage negotiations one last go, but if there was no progress soon, it would launch the operation, Axios reported.

On April 8, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the date for the start of the ground operation in Rafah had been set. The city is considered to be Hamas' last holdout and the plan for the operation has already been approved, but it will require the evacuation of over one million displaced people currently sheltering there.

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