Egyptian officials told Qatari media that the US had accepted Israel’s plan to operate in the southern city Gaza Stripin exchange for not carrying out a large-scale attack against him Iran, the Times of Israel reports.

“The US government has shown acceptance of the plan previously presented by the occupation government regarding the military operation in Rafah in exchange for not launching a large-scale attack against Iran,” an unnamed official told the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed network.

At the same time, Egyptian officials said that Egypt is preparing to be able to deal with any possible consequences of the planned operation.

According to the Times of Israel, four Hamas battalions are believed to be in Rafah along with over a million civilians who have taken refuge there after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the Strip. In Rafah, Israel also believes that Hamas leaders are hiding, possibly along with Israeli hostages.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed to have approved plans for an operation in Rafah and recently announced that a date for the attack had been decided.