Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Herzi Halevi, informed Israel's wartime cabinet on Thursday that the army had completed preparations for a ground attack on Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, state-owned Kan radio reported.

Israel's wartime cabinet and security cabinet convened on Thursday to discuss a possible assault on Rafah, a city previously considered a "safe zone" from the relentless Israeli bombardments, where about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have found refuge.

According to the report, Halevi presented attack plans to members of the wartime cabinet and said that the ground forces were ready to move in once the order was given.

Meanwhile, they also discussed new attempts to push forward a ceasefire that would secure the release of more than 100 hostages held in Gaza, some of whom are presumed to be dead, Kan radio reported.

Previously, Israel informed the U.S. that it would order civilians to evacuate before launching the attack.

(With input from Xinhua)