Israel has reportedly obtained tens of thousands of tents for the construction of humanitarian zones to house evacuees from Rafah as it prepares to enter the remaining Hamas stronghold.

A senior defense official told Reuters on Wednesday the IDF has conducted all necessary preparations for a Rafah operation and is only awaiting government approval.

The town of Rafah, which lies on the border of Egypt, has seen its population increase by around 1 million following the start of the Israel ground campaign in the Gaza Strip. Israel had previously declared Rafah a safe zone, however, after intelligence indicated that many Hamas leaders and fighters fled to the enclave, Israel began to speak of an operation in the town.

Israel agreed with the U.S. government to evacuate civilians from Rafah before a ground operation there.

Hamas senior officials Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif are believed to be hiding in the enclave. At the same time, Israel believes that many of the surviving hostages are also in Rafah.

While the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed opposition to Israel entering Rafah on humanitarian grounds, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel must enter Rafah in order to achieve its goals in the fight against Hamas.

According to The New York Times, an IDF official said that an Israeli-designated "humanitarian zone" along the coast north of Rafah could be expanded to take in more civilians.

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs and Maxar showed the erection of new tents in the area of Khan Younis over the past two weeks. Additional satellite imagery also appeared to show the construction of a fortified buffer zone on the Egyptian side of the border despite Egypt's insistence that it would not allow any Palestinians to cross into its territory.

Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel is not constructing the tent compounds, even though it had purchased the tents. The official did not say who is constructing the compounds, only saying, the effort "will require a joint effort and significant co-operation with the various international organizations."

An Egyptian official told The Telegraph that Israel would set up tents, medical facilities, and food distribution centers, and coordinate the evacuation of refugees from Rafah with the U.S., Egypt, and other countries in the region.

On Wednesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar traveled to Cairo to meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel to discuss the operations in Rafah.

Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, commander of the 162nd Division operating in Gaza, told Kan news that the IDF is prepared to enter Rafah, and that Hamas should be prepared to surrender.

"Hamas was hit hard in the northern sector. It was also hit hard in the center of the Strip. And soon it will be hit hard in Rafah," Cohen said. "Hamas should know that when the IDF goes into Rafah, it would do best to raise its hands in surrender."

An Israeli official told the Wall Street Journal that the IDF would conduct a targeted series of operations in Rafah, different from the operations in Khan Younis and Gaza City, due to the "complex" situation.