ISRAELI tanks rolled into Rafah this morning as it kicked off a ground offensive after 11th hour ceasefire negotiations partially fell apart.
Israel’s military said 20 terrorists had been killed after its war cabinet voted unanimously to go ahead with the planned invasion of the southern Gazan city – despite fears of mass civilian casualties.
IDFThe IDF have claimed control of the Rafah crossing from the the Gazan side[/caption]
IDFOfficials say tanks and soldiers entered eastern Rafah early this morning[/caption]
APSmoke rises above Rafah after hours of Israeli air strikes[/caption]
Israel’s war cabinet vowed to go ahead with the ground offensive of Rafah despite ceasefire talks
Families have been desperately trying to leave Rafah in recent days after they were told to evacuate before the fighting escalates
This morning, Israeli and Palestinian officials said tanks and soldiers had entered east Rafah, a city swelling with refugees from the north, after an overnight bombardment.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed the 401st armoured brigade and the Givati infantry brigade had established control over the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing.
Footage broadcast on Israeli media showed an Israeli flag flying on the Gaza side of the crossing, though the Israeli army refused to comment on the flag.
In the overnight operation, the IDF said it was carrying out targeted strikes in eastern Rafah.
It said they killed 20 Hamas militants and located three “significant” tunnel shafts.
The offensive again raised the risks of an all-out Israeli assault on Rafah, a move the US strongly opposes and that aid groups warn will be disastrous for some 1.4 million Palestinians taking refuge there.
It comes after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday night rejected a ceasefire offer from Hamas and vowed to push on into the mostly southerly Gazan city where 100,000 people were earlier in the day ordered to evacuated.
But hours before Israel approved the ground offensive, Hamas announced it had accepted a cease-fire proposal brought forward by mediators Egypt and Qatar.
A cease-fire could have ended seven months of gruelling war in Gaza, but Israel responded by saying the proposal did not meet its core demands.
More than a million people are huddled in tents and overcrowded apartments in Rafah after fleeing Israels military offensive in other parts of the Gaza Strip.
Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority, said the Rafah crossing, the main entry of humanitarian aid to the war-torn strip, was out of service.
“The whole western area (of Rafah) has become a theater of operations since yesterday. The bombardment has not stopped,” said Abu Omar.
Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold, but the US opposes a full-scale invasion of the city bordering Egypt unless Israel provides a credible plan for protecting civilians there.
The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to Hamas-run health officials in Gaza.
The war was sparked by the bloody October 7 attacks when Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250 others.
Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
ReutersPalestinians in Rafah cheer after Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar[/caption]
AlamyThe IDF said they killed 20 Hamas militants overnight[/caption]