Israel has demanded the release of at least 33 hostages from Hamas to prevent planned attacks on the town of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli Defense Ministry sources, Mossad chief David Barnia demanded the release of 33 hostages before the Egyptian delegation. The Egyptian delegation is headed by Intelligence Chief Major General Abbas Kamel.
Recently, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed concern about the devastation to his country from the planned attack on Rafah, a concern he expressed to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a visit to Cairo.
Egypt fears that if the Rafah area is attacked, it will cause civilian casualties. Rafah is adjacent to the Sinai region of the country. Therefore, a large number of refugees will flee Egypt from the attack on the Rafah area.
Citing its internal report, Israel said that, of the 129 Israeli hostages, 33 people fall under the category of elderly, sick and women. According to Israel, many of the 129 Israeli hostages have died.
Israeli intelligence has claimed that Yahya Sinwar, along with Israeli hostages, is in Rafah in one of the Hamas tunnels as human shields. Yahya Sinwar is the military commander and mastermind of the 7 October 2023 massacre.
In Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed its specialized Nahal Brigade ahead of the planned attack.