"Today (Sun), the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi held a situational assessment and approval of plans for the continuation of the war in the Southern Command," the IDF said on social media.
The Israeli army has been looking to expand its Gaza offensive to the southern city of Rafah, where many of the enclave’s 2.4 million population have sought shelter in the past months.
Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza after Hamas attacked the Jewish state on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and abducting over 200. The health ministry in Gaza estimates that more than 34,000 people have been killed in the Israeli onslaught and close to 77,000 others have been injured.