Egyptian sources warned Hamas that if it did not reach a hostage deal with Israel within two weeks, the IDF would launch a ground offensive into Rafah, according to a report today (Sunday) by the Wall Street Journal.
According to the report, Egypt also pressured Israel to limit the scope of its operations in Rafah, even threatening to suspend the 1979 peace agreement. Egypt has also reinforced security on its side of the border with fencing and cameras, as well as sensors and observation towers. Tanks and combat vehicles have also been placed near the border.
A Hamas senior leader previously threatened that “any Israeli attack in Rafah will lead to the end of negotiations to form a deal.” This was said in response to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s interview on ABC, where he addressed calls to not act in Rafah for fear of harming the civilian population, saying that those who were saying Israel could not enter Rafah were effectively saying Israel must lose the war, as Hamas would remain in place.
Yesterday, CNN reported that Netanyahu’s target date for ending the military operation in Rafah was the beginning of the month of Ramadan on March 10, in order to avoid chaos in the Arab world. The CIA Director is reportedly coming to the Middle East to advance a hostage deal, though Israel makes an Israeli delegation conditional on Hamas softening its demands.