An Israeli ground operation in Rafah is a "red line" for Hezbollah and Iran, and so once the IDF goes in the entire region could explode.  Of course if Israel intends to destroy Hamas, an operation in Rafah is necessary, because that it where Hamas is hiding.  Israeli officials have been telling us over and over again that there will be a ground operation in Rafah no matter what the Biden administration or anyone else thinks, and now we have a timeline.  The following is from a Times of Israel article entitled "Report: Israel preparing for Rafah ground operation in mid April or early May"…

Following the failure of the latest round of negotiations in Qatar, Israel is not willing to make any further concessions to Hamas and is gearing up for an invasion of Rafah after Eid al-Fitr — the three-day holiday that follows Ramadan and ends around April 12 — or in early May at the latest, according to Egyptian sources who have been in contact with IDF officials, quoted by the pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar daily.

That is very interesting timing.

If this report is accurate, we are likely to see a ground operation in Rafah shortly after the Great American Eclipse of 2024 on April 8th.

According to that same Times of Israel article, the ground operation in Rafah "would last between four and eight weeks"…

The ground op inside the last bastion of Hamas in the Gaza Strip would last between four and eight weeks, the sources say, and would be accompanied by an evacuation of the civilian population sheltering in Rafah, which amounts to about 1.5 million people, toward the center of the Strip along specific routes and at specific times, announced to civilians in each area of Rafah in advance.