Israel-Gaza war live: US doesn’t believe east Rafah strikes are ‘major military operation’, official says | Israel-Gaza war

A Qatari delegation will head to Cairo on Tuesday to resume indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas through the mediators, Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, said in a statement.

He said that Hamas sent its response to a truce proposal to mediators on Monday, which could be described as positive, reports Reuters.

Qatar, which alongside Egypt and the United States has played a mediation role in the talks, said it hoped the negotiations would culminate in an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas on Monday it agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators, but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands and pressed ahead with strikes in Rafah while planning to continue negotiations.

A US official said the US is “concerned” about Israel’s latest strikes on Rafah, but “does not believe they represent a major military operation,” according to a report from Reuters.

US officials are focused on prevent major military operations targeting “densely populated” areas of Rafah, the source added, and that it “does not appear the Israelis are doing that”.

As Israel targets the city of Rafah, where many refugees are sheltering, the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia has called on the international community to “intervene immediately to stop the genocide carried out by the occupation forces”.

“The Israeli occupation forces targeting the city of Rafah as part of its systematic, bloody campaign to storm all areas of the Gaza Strip and displace its residents towards the unknown,” the statement said, according to Haaretz.

The office of the Israeli prime minister has confirmed on Twitter reports that Israel will continue operations in Rafah “so as to advance the release of our hostages”.

“While the Hamas proposal is far from meeting Israel’s core demands, Israel will dispatch a ranking delegation to Egypt in an effort to maximize the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel,” the office said in a statement.

Videos from the ground showed strikes on the city, where millions of Palestinian refugees have been sheltering.

The Guardian’s Jason Burke has this dispatch on reaction in Israel to the ceasefire announcement:

The news that Hamas had accepted a ceasefire proposal has been greeted with scepticism by Israeli officials and enthusiasm by groups in Israel representing hostages held in Gaza.

One Israeli official told the Guardian it was unclear exactly which proposal Hamas was accepting, as some of the terms appeared to differ substantially from those shown by mediators to Israel and agreed by the Israeli government last week.

“Right now [we] don’t recognise some,” one official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. Despite the late hour, hundreds of people converged on the main military headquarters in Tel Aviv calling for a deal now. Smaller gatherings were reported in Jerusalem and other cities across Israel.

“Hamas’ announcement must pave the way for the return of the 132 hostages held captive by Hamas for the past 7 months. Now is the time for all that are involved, to fulfill their commitment and turn this opportunity into a deal for the return of all the hostages,” a statement from The Hostages Families Forum said.

The Hamas announcement will pose a significant political challenge to Israel’s prime minister who is under pressure from the far right parties and leaders on whom his grip on power largely depends to reject any ceasefire.

“Hamas’ exercises and games have only one answer: an immediate order to occupy Rafah! Increasing military pressure, and continuing the complete defeat of Hamas, until its complete defeat,” he far right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on X.

Israel’s diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, posted on X: “FCK HMS”.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the government was not serious about freeing the hostages.

“A government that wants to return the abductees should be convening an urgent discussion and sending [negotiating] teams to Cairo, not hysterically issuing three different briefings from different parties and crushing the hearts of the families. A national disgrace. There is no limit,” Lapid wrote on X

It is just after 11pm in Gaza and Tel Aviv.

Here is a summary of what has happened so far:

• Israel’s military is now launching targeted strikes in eastern Rafah, Reuters and AP reported citing a statement. Israel says it is striking Hamas targets in the region. But more than 1 million displaced Palestinian people have sought refuge in Rafah amid Israel’s attacks in Gaza, the Washington Post reported.

• Hamas says it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal to halt the seven-month war with Israel. It issued a statement on Monday saying its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister.

• An IDF spokesperson said Israel will continue to act in a “operational manner” in Gaza despite Hamas announcing that it accepted a Gaza ceasefire deal on Monday. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel is going to continue to act in an operational manner, saying earlier that Israel has a right to defend itself.

• US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed Hamas has “issued a response”, when asked about Hamas’s announcement that it accepted a ceasefire deal. “We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region,” Miller said.

I’m passing coverage to my colleague on the west coast.

Thank you for reading!

IDF confirms it has begun striking eastern Rafah

Ruth Michaelson

Ruth Michaelson is reporting on the IDF’s strikes in eastern Rafah for the Guardian.

Less than 24 hours after the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets telling tens of thousands of people to flee eastern Rafah, Israeli forces have begun striking the area.

The IDF tweeted it is “currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza”.

Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli airstrikes hit “roads, agricultural land, residential houses and animal farms” in three neighbourhoods in eastern Rafah. The Turkish news outlet Anadolu reports that the Israeli army has intensified shelling on eastern Rafah.

Those in Rafah reported that Israeli attacks stepped up late last night with airstrikes that killed 26 people according to the Palestinian health ministry, creating an environment of growing fear that had already prompted some to flee before the IDF dropped leaflets instructing thousands to evacuate.

The Egyptian channel Al Qahera broadcast footage of the aftermath of a strike on an aid warehouse on the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in the late afternoon, prompting fears about the weakening supply of aid with both major crossings into the enclave shuttered.

The Associated Press reported soon afterwards that people cheered when they heard reports that Hamas had agreed to an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, although this joy appeared short-lived as Israeli strikes intensified despite the news that Israel will send a delegation to Cairo to discuss the deal.

Israel’s military announced they are now launching targeted strikes in eastern Rafah, Reuters and AP reported citing a statement.

Israel says that they are striking Hamas targets in the region.

But more than 1m displaced Palestinian people have sought refuge in Rafah amid Israel’s attacks in Gaza, the Washington Post reported.

Israel still plans to proceed with a 90-day plan to invade Rafah, which Washington is committed to stopping, according to reports.

The country’s war cabinet has decided to continue its operations in order to secure the release of hostages, the journalist Barack Ravid posted on X.

It comes as a US official familiar with truce negotiations between Hamas and Israel told Reuters on Monday that it would proceed with its invasion plans.

“Netanyahu and the war cabinet have not appeared to approach the latest phase of negotiations (with Hamas) in good faith,” the official told Reuters, asking not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.