Foreign media say Israeli troops may attack Rafah as early as after Eid al-Fitr. Israel is preparing to evacuate about 1.5 million Palestinian civilians in the area while attacking.
Evacuations will be notified in advance by area, and civilians will be evacuated from Rafah through designated routes at designated times. The Israeli army will conduct ground and aerial surveillance to prevent Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) militants and the kidnapped Israeli hostages from leaving among civilians. The offensive will last from 4 weeks to 8 weeks.