Jerusalem: Israel has vowed to continue with its highly-opposed offensive in Gaza's city of Rafah, where over a million had taken refuge and some 100,000 ordered to evacuate, despite Hamas agreeing to an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal to halt the seven-month-long war, which Israel says does not meet its "core demands". However, Israel said it would continue ceasefire negotiations, even as Israeli tanks entered Rafah, reaching as close as 200 meters from Rafah’s crossing with neighbouring Egypt, according to officials.
Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, have repeatedly said that Israel shouldn’t attack Rafah. The looming operation has raised global alarm over the fate of around 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there. Aid agencies have warned that an offensive will worsen Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe and bring a surge of more civilian deaths in an Israeli campaign that in nearly seven months has killed more than 34,500 people and devastated the territory.
Hamas' sudden acceptance of the ceasefire deal came hours after Israel ordered the evacuation of some 100,000 Palestinians from eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah, which signalled that an invasion was imminent. The Israeli military said it was conducting “targeted strikes” against Hamas in eastern Rafah, a day after Hamas militants killed four Israeli soldiers in a mortar attack which Israel said occurred near the Rafah crossing.
Scope of Israel's assault on Rafah
Israel believes that a significant number of Hamas fighters, along with potentially dozens of hostages, are in Rafah and has said that victory requires taking the key city. The US, Israel's closest ally, said it must not invade Rafah without a full plan in place to protect civilians there, which has yet to be presented.
A separate US official said that Washington is concerned about Israel's latest strikes against Rafah but does not believe they represent a major military operation. An Egyptian official said the operation appeared to be limited. However, the total scope of Israel's operation remains known, even as one of its strikes killed five Palestinians, including a woman and a girl, medics said.
Hamas and key mediator Qatar said that invading Rafah would derail efforts by international mediators to broker a cease-fire. Days earlier, Hamas had been discussing a US-backed proposal that reportedly raised the possibility of an end to the war and a pullout of Israeli troops in return for the release of all hostages held by the group. Israeli officials have rejected that trade-off, vowing to continue their campaign until Hamas is destroyed.
Ceasefire negotiations still on
Hamas said in a brief statement that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, had informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that the group accepted their proposal for a ceasefire. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said later that the truce proposal fell short of Israel's demands but Israel would send a delegation to meet with negotiators to try to reach an agreement.
In a statement, Netanyahu's office added that his war cabinet approved continuing an operation in Rafah. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on social media site X that Netanyahu was jeopardising a ceasefire by bombing Rafah. However, an Israeli official said the proposed approval was a watered-down version that included elements deemed unacceptable by Israel.
Any truce would be the first pause in fighting since a week-long ceasefire in November, during which Hamas freed around half of the hostages. Since then, all efforts to reach a new truce have foundered over Hamas' refusal to free more hostages without a promise of a permanent end to the conflict, and Israel's insistence that it would discuss only a temporary pause.
Pressure on Netanyahu
Netanyahu is under pressure from hard-line partners in his coalition who demand an attack on Rafah and could collapse his government if he signs a deal. On the other hand, he also faces pressure from the families of hostages to reach a deal for their release. They say that time is running out to bring their loved ones home safely, and a ground operation would further endanger them.
Thousands of Israelis rallied around the country Monday night calling for an immediate agreement. About 1,000 protesters swelled near the defence headquarters in Tel Aviv. In Jerusalem, about 100 protesters marched toward Netanyahu’s residence with a banner reading, "The blood is on your hands."
Israeli leaflets, text messages and radio broadcasts ordered Palestinians to evacuate eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah, warning that an attack was imminent and anyone who stayed “puts themselves and their family members in danger.” The military told people to move to an Israel-declared humanitarian zone called Muwasi, a makeshift camp on the coast, where 450,000 Palestinians are already sheltering.
(with inputs from agencies)
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