Israel's planned ground offensive in Rafah could be postponed due to a possible response to Iran's attacks. This could shift Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stated goal of the complete destruction of Hamas - even if only slightly.
An escalation with Iran could demand important military resources from the Gaza Strip. It is not yet clear whether Israel will completely destroy Hamas, as Netanyahu has long been pushing for. The offensive in the city in the southern Gaza Strip is one of Israel's most important strategic war goals. The plan was actually to begin dropping leaflets in parts of the city on Monday, citing two Israeli sources. The aim was to make the civilian population aware of the impending attacks. More than a million people are currently seeking refuge in Rafa, where more than 1 million people have taken refuge from the fighting in the past few days. The U.S. government would accept the military operation if Israel did not escalate tensions with Iran. In this context, an escalation means a large-scale military operation.