The Israeli military says its troops have taken operational control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. It comes as delegations from Hamas and Israel are expected to gather in Cairo in an effort to reach a ceasefire agreement.
A Hamas official has warned there will be no ceasefire deal if Israel's military offensive in Rafah continues.
Israeli officials say a deal can still be achieved with Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza, even though the ground offensive in Rafah has already begun.“The war cabinet unanimously, unanimously decided Israel will continue its operation in Rafah in order to apply military pressure on Hamas to release our hostages and achieve all the war's objectives despite Hamas's grandstanding. Hamas's proposal is far from Israel's core demands.
Head of the United Nations office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Andrea De Domenico, says the closure of the Rafah border bears serious humanitarian consequences. Rafah is filled with more than a million displaced civilians huddling in tents and overcrowded apartments, and the border crossing is the main entry point for desperately needed aid.
The Israeli military had earlier ordered tens of thousands of civilians to begin evacuating nearby eastern parts of Rafah city, ahead of what it called a limited operation to eliminate Hamas fighters.
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