Israel is close to the finish line of Rafah operation

TEHRAN (defapress) - The Israeli occupation military plans to conclude its operation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, in the coming days, ending the ongoing war on Gaza in its current form, Israeli media reported.

Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly holding discussions with senior military leaders about ending the Rafah operation and dramatically altering the nature of the war on Gaza.

Israeli media indicated that this meant the military would be transitioning to a phase of concentrated and targeted raids accompanied by airstrikes.

This comes a week after Netanyahu said the Israeli military's heavy fighting against Hamas in Rafah is nearly over.

"The intense phase of the fighting against Hamas is about to end," Netanyahu said in an interview for the Israeli Channel 14.

However, he pointed out that this "doesn't mean that the war is about to end, but the war in its intense phase is about to end in Rafah."

Israeli media suggested that with the end of the Rafah operation, "the Zionist regime" will practically engage in negotiations for a settlement with Hezbollah in Lebanon under the mediation of the United States.

Meanwhile, a political affairs commentator on Channel 12 cited Israeli officials as saying that the war on Gaza is not over yet, but its current form is expected to change.

According to the commentator, the second phase of the war will focus on raids and aerial operations, meaning that the Israeli military will operate "wherever there is information about Hamas activities."