The American network NBC quoted a source familiar with intelligence information as saying that Israel did not move ground forces or equipment towards the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, which indicates that the ground incursion that the Israeli army intends to launch into the city is not imminent.

NBC also quoted US administration officials as believing that Israel will postpone its ground invasion of Rafah for at least several weeks, partly because many of Israel's resources are concentrated elsewhere in Gaza.

The officials explained that the United States had not received until last Thursday the Israeli army's plans for the military operation in Rafah or its strategy for evacuating about 1.5 million civilians there.

Last February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the mobilization of reserve soldiers in preparation for launching a military ground operation in Rafah, which has become the last refuge for thousands of displaced people who were displaced by the Israeli aggression from many areas in the Gaza Strip.

The announcement of preparations to invade Rafah, and the accompanying bombing of the city, sparked widespread international condemnation. Many countries and organizations demanded that Tel Aviv stop its imminent military operations against the city. The US President also called on Israel to prepare a plan to “protect civilians” before the launch of the military operation.

But Israel continued to insist on invading the city, and Netanyahu said on February 10 that he had issued instructions to the Israeli army to plan the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of the city’s residents before the expected ground invasion of the city.

Netanyahu indicated - in an interview with ABC News - that the Israeli army would guarantee a “safe passage” for civilians before the expected attack, and said that there are areas in northern Rafah that “have been cleared and can be used as safe areas for civilians,” as he put it.

The Israeli Prime Minister vowed to control Rafah, which he described as "the last stronghold of the Hamas Brigades," in reference to the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

He responded to the criticism and warnings concerned about the fate of hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians if the occupation launched a ground attack on Rafah, saying, “Those who say that we should never enter Rafah are actually telling us that we should lose the war and leave Hamas there.”

The Hamas movement warned of a "massacre" in Rafah, which is home to more than a million displaced Palestinians, and said - in a statement - "We warn of a global catastrophe and massacre that may leave tens of thousands martyrs and wounded if Rafah Governorate is invaded."

Hamas said that it holds the US administration, the international community, and the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the safety of the city’s residents.

European Union foreign policy official Josep Borrell also warned of the upcoming Israeli attack on Rafah, saying that it would result in an "unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe."

Since the seventh of last October, the Israeli army has launched a devastating aggression against Gaza, which has led to the death of more than 30,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, and tens of thousands of injuries. It has also led to the destruction of the cities of the Strip and the displacement and starvation of its residents.

Source: Al Jazeera