An American official revealed to Sky News Arabia on Friday that the Israeli government informed the White House that “the army is about to launch a major military operation in the city of Rafah” in the southern Gaza Strip, hinting at the presence of “pressure on Egypt” to open the borders to the Palestinians.

The official, who requested to remain anonymous, added that Israel notified the US administration in the past hours, specifically the Pentagon, of the details of the military operation in Rafah, which requires “evacuating it of residents and carrying out the attack in a way that guarantees the security of the border with Egypt.”

The official explained that "many parties in Washington, most notably a large majority in Congress in both its Senate and House of Representatives, support the Israeli control plan for Rafah, because of its guarantees to eliminate the Hamas movement and control the network of tunnels connected to the Egyptian interior," as he put it.

He admitted that “despite President Joe Biden’s statement that he does not support such an operation, American military and security leaders in the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) do not object to it in their unannounced conversations,” because “it would accelerate the war in Gaza and bring it closer to its end before the elections.” The US presidential election is scheduled for next November, and this is something that Biden personally desires.

In response to a question from "Sky News Arabia" about the risks of a humanitarian catastrophe for more than a million people living in temporary tents in Rafah, the official considered that "the current situation will change. The Israelis are keen to limit civilian casualties."

As for Egypt’s refusal to open the borders to the Palestinians, the American official said, “There is pressure on Cairo to change its position, as everyone in the region has an interest in getting rid of Hamas,” according to his opinion.

Earlier Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the army to develop a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah, where half of the Gaza Strip's population is currently concentrated.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement: “It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas and leaving 4 Hamas battalions in Rafah. On the contrary, it is clear that any intense military activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the combat zones.”

The statement added: “In this context, the Prime Minister ordered the Israeli forces and security officials to present a complex plan to evacuate the population and eliminate the Hamas brigades in the city, which represents the last refuge for displaced persons fleeing the war in the Gaza Strip.

Yesterday, Thursday, Washington warned of a “disaster” in Rafah, claiming that it does not support an operation “without serious planning” carried out by Israel to protect civilians.

It is noteworthy that after the Israeli army focused its operations in Gaza City (north) and then in Khan Yunis (south), Netanyahu ordered his forces, on Wednesday, to prepare for an attack on Rafah in the far south of the devastated Strip.

So far, about 28,000 Palestinians, the majority of them children and women, have been killed in Gaza, according to the latest toll from the Ministry of Health in the Strip.