JERUSALEM

The Israeli army on Wednesday announced transferring two combat brigades from northern Israel to carry out fighting missions in Gaza.

In a statement, the Israeli army said the 2nd Reserve Brigade of the 146th Division and the 679th Reserve Brigade of the 210th Division will be transferred from northern Israel, at the Lebanon border, to the Gaza Strip.

The two brigades have finalized their combat training preparedness for their mission in Gaza, the Israeli army added.

The statement, however, did not clarify the nature of the mission in Gaza, but the move came amid the Israeli army's plans to attack the Rafah city, southern Gaza Strip.

Last week, an Israeli government spokesperson said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set a date for invading Rafah.

Rafah is the last remaining area in the enclave where Israel has not yet formally announced the entry of its troops to continue the onslaught against Palestinians.

Israel has waged a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,180 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 77,000 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar.