The Israeli army announced on Wednesday the withdrawal of two brigades from the northern border in preparation for carrying out missions in Gaza, at a time when Israeli media are talking about an imminent invasion of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli occupation army said in a statement that it had mobilized two brigades of reserve forces to continue what it called the defense and attack mission in the Gaza Strip under the command of the 99th Division, noting that the 2nd Brigade of the 146th Division and the 679th Brigade of the 210th Division, which had so far worked on the northern border, had made preparations throughout the year. The last weeks of their mission in the Gaza Strip.

The statement did not explain the reason for withdrawing the two brigades from the north towards Gaza, but Israeli media said that the forces being mobilized will replace the “Nahal” battalion, which is supposed to be entrusted with the task of invading Rafah.

In this context, the official Israeli radio said that the army is prepared to begin its ground operation in Rafah soon, despite international warnings of catastrophic consequences, as the city shelters about 1.5 million displaced people.

For its part, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the army transferred reserve brigades to Carmel after training, and that they will move from the north to fight in Gaza.

Yesterday evening, the Broadcasting Authority said that the Israeli army is preparing to invade Rafah very soon in a military operation that includes the evacuation of large numbers of residents, with American approval.

In this context, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that he is studying measures to be taken in preparation for operations in Rafah, especially with regard to the evacuation of civilians.

According to Israeli sources, Tel Aviv is seeking to convince Washington that the operation in Rafah is necessary, and that it should be managed by a joint Israeli-American chamber.

Israel says that the expected attack on Rafah aims to dismantle 4 military battalions of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

Population evacuation

The Associated Press published satellite images that it said showed a new complex of tents being established near Khan Yunis, adjacent to Rafah, as part of ongoing preparations for a possible military operation.

In an indication that the operation is imminent, the American Wall Street Journal quoted Egyptian officials as saying that Israel is preparing to transfer civilians from Rafah to Khan Yunis.

According to the same source, the evacuation process is supposed to take two to three weeks, and to be organized in coordination with the United States and Arab countries.

Yesterday, Egypt denied that it had discussed with Israel the expected military operation in Rafah and reiterated its opposition to it. Jordan also warned today that storming Rafah would lead to a new Israeli massacre.

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said yesterday that at this stage there are no indications of the start of any kind of major ground operations in Rafah, adding that his country has not yet seen any detailed Israeli plan that addresses American concerns about the repercussions of the invasion. potentially affecting civilians.

North Gaza operation

Also in military developments, the Israeli occupation army intensified its bombing of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, in preparation for carrying out a new military operation in the region.

The Israeli occupation army had issued orders to evacuate 4 neighborhoods in Beit Lahia, claiming that they were witnessing serious fighting.