Israel has rejected a cease-fire offer accepted by Hamas and announced it will proceed with an offensive on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than 1 million Palestinians have taken refuge.
The Israeli military announced yesterday that it was carrying out “targeted attacks” against Hamas in eastern Hamas’ last stronghold in Gaza.
Immediately after the announcement, Israeli tanks entered Rafah and advanced up to 200 meters to the border with Egypt, the Associated Press reported, citing Egyptian officials who said the scope of the operation appeared to be limited.
Hopes for a ceasefire break had been high since Hamas announced that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, had told mediators in Qatar and Egypt that Hamas had accepted the ceasefire proposal.
The move prompted celebrations in the streets of Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the proposed ceasefire did not meet demands.
However, it added that Israel would send a delegation today to meet with negotiators to reach an agreement.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a delegation will head to the Egyptian capital Cairo to continue indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Egypt and Qatar have been mediating negotiations between Hamas and Israel for several months.
Thousands of Israelis protested across the country demanding an immediate agreement. In Jerusalem, about 100 people marched to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home holding banners that read “You have blood on your hands.”
Israeli officials described Hamas’s announcement as “a ploy to make Israel look like the party rejecting the deal.”
Aid groups have warned that an attack on Rafah would have dire consequences for the 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there.
5 people killed in airstrike
Israeli airstrikes last night killed at least five people in the city, including children and women, hospital officials said.
On Sunday, Hamas fighters fired mortar shells into southern Israel near the Rafah crossing, killing four Israeli soldiers.
Israeli leaflets, documents and radio broadcasts ordered Palestinians to evacuate eastern Rafah, warning that an attack was imminent and warning that those who remained would “endanger themselves and their families.”
Israel and Hamas called for ‘further efforts’
US President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated US concerns over the invasion of Rafah, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Hamas to “do the redoubled efforts necessary to reach an agreement”. the spokesperson said.
More than 34,600 Palestinians have been killed in the war, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. However, the tally does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The United Nations has warned that the enclave is on the brink of starvation.
The war began when Hamas militants crossed the border into Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages, 133 of whom are still in prison, according to Israeli tallies. It is believed that he is being held captive in Gaza.