Egyptian officials said on Thursday that their government was attempting to stop a possible Israeli offensive on Rafah. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said earlier that such an operation could cause a humanitarian catastrophe and that the international community is opposed to it.
"Any attempt to ignite the situation in Gaza and increase pressure on the Palestinians, causes tensions in the relations with Israel," the spokesperson said. "This would not prevent Israel from communicating with all parties to the conflict, to bring about a solution to the crisis."
Meanwhile the IDF said it was finalizing preparations for a Rafah offensive and is awaiting a greenlight from the government to proceed. Once that is given, the military said it would take three weeks to move civilians sheltering in the area, to safety.
Over a million Palestinian civilians displaced by fighting elsewhere in the coastal enclave are sheltering in sprawling tent encampments or with relatives across the highly crowded city whose population numbered around 300,000 before the outset of the war. The IDF said it has already observed 150,000 people leave Rafah for Khan Younis in the past month after troops left the city. On Thursday, images showed thousands flocking to the Rafah shores to escape the scorching heat.
Thousands flock to Rafah seashore
Officials told the Qatari Al Araby outlet that Egyptian officials discussed the matter with visiting Mossad Chief Ronen Bar and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on Wednesday. They also discussed how best to advance negotiations for the release of hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
According to the report, the Israeli officials would be discussing the matter with the war cabinet and relay the outcome of the meeting back to Cairo. "Egypt presented a new proposal based on the Paris summit and is in intense discussions with the Israelis to prevent an assaוlt on Rafah."
The Saudi Al-Hadath channel quoted Egyptian sources as saying a proposal made to Israel was to suspend plans for an operation in Rafah in exchange for the negotiations on hostages to resume adding that Hamas offered to suspend all attacks on Israel in exchange for a cease-fire that would last one year.
Hamas officials are expected to meet with member of the Fatah movement in China on Friday after the Chinese invited them to discuss "the challenges stemming from the war and the opportunity to resolve their disputes.