Israel’s defence minister has threatened an imminent invasion of Rafah where 1.5 million Gazans are sheltering if a temporary ceasefire agreement is not reached.
Amid faltering peace talks in Egypt, Yoav Gallant warned his government was preparing to launch “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza”.
Negotiations stalled on Sunday after Hamas said it would reject any deal that failed to end the war in the Palestinian territory.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said he cannot accept Hamas’ demands for an end to the war or the withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza.
Israel claims Rafah, in south Gaza, is the last stronghold of Hamas, with four unharmed battalions remaining in the area, in addition to the remnants of other dismantled battalions which have fled since the ground invasion.
Mr Netanyahu has been urged by his allies, including the US, to abandon plans to launch an offensive on Rafah to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.