The Israeli Defense Cabinet approved the decision to attack the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip after civilians were evacuated for the first time, according to Bloomberg.

The American agency indicated that the Israeli authorities are ready to intensify their military campaign against the Palestinian Hamas movement as the ceasefire talks continue.

It confirmed that Israel will also send a delegation to Qatar to resume negotiations on an agreement to return the hostages, despite the fact that Hamas’ ceasefire proposal includes “unreasonable” demands, according to the Israelis.

It is likely that Israel's reference to the long-awaited attack on Rafah, without closing the door to the diplomatic path out of the crisis, came to exert maximum pressure on Hamas to persuade the Iran-backed movement to agree to the hostage deal.

Bloomberg explained that Israel is awaiting a very complex task of transferring civilians, estimated at more than 1.2 million Palestinians, from Rafah to safe areas, which may take several days, if not longer.

It noted that there is no clear indication from Israeli officials where they (Gaza civilians) will go, despite Netanyahu’s pledge that a military attack on the city will not occur until civilians are allowed to leave.

Plans for a ground invasion of the city of Rafah, which hosts three-quarters of the Gaza Strip's population, are likely to increase tensions between Israel and the United States, which has not yet seen Israel's plan to transfer civilians from Rafah, according to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

The agency indicated that the United States and other allies urged Israel to abandon the operation to allow a ceasefire and provide humanitarian aid, but Israeli officials believe that the Hamas leadership and the hostages who were taken during the movement’s attack on October 7 are present there.

The American agency pointed out that Washington remains cautiously optimistic about the possibility of reaching a deal and a temporary ceasefire, as Minister Blinken recently said in a press conference in Vienna, “Hamas’s recent proposal and Israel’s decision to send a delegation to the talks reflect the sense of possibility and urgency of reaching an agreement.”