A summary of today's developments
A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo from Doha on Tuesday to follow up on Gaza ceasefire negotiations. It comes as Hamas official Osama Hamdan warned in a press conference in Beirut that if Israel’s military aggression continues in Rafah, there will be no ceasefire deal, Reuters reports. “We affirm that the military operation in Rafah, if carried out by Israel, will not be a picnic for the (Israeli) army,” Hamdan said.
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, added Hamas had offered amendments on Monday to an original Israeli proposal aimed at ending the impasse. The deal text, as amended, suggests the remaining gaps can “absolutely be closed,” he said. Israeli forces’ seizure of the main border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza raised fears that Israel might be beginning an incursion into Rafah. Kirby said the Israelis had assured U.S. officials that the operation was of limited scope and duration and not a large-scale invasion.
Earlier, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas falls short of essential demands, Reuters reported. Netanyahu’s comments come as diplomatic sources say the agreement approved by Hamas is similar to the Egyptian proposal Israel already agreed to, Haaretz reported.
The UN secretary-general warned that Gaza may run out of fuel as quickly as tonight following Israel’s closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing and seizure of the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt. Speaking at a press conference, António Guterres said “agreement between the government of Israel and the leadership of Hamas is essential to stop the unbearable suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and the hostages and their families.” Guterres added that Israel’s attacks on Rafah “would be a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare.”
Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said it was a mistake to have sent a negotiating team to Cairo today. In a statement Bezalel said that sending the delegation to Cairo “falls into the manipulative trap set by Hamas together with Qatar and Egypt”.
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, told the media that despite the explicit warnings of the EU, the US and others, Israel’s determination to carry out an offensive in Rafah will lead to the deaths of more civilians “whatever they say”.
An Israeli military offensive on the city of Rafah would break international humanitarian law and not lead to the eradication of Hamas, Andrew Mitchell, the UK’s deputy foreign minister, said but he held back from spelling out any planned British consequences if a full-scale invasion goes ahead.
Jordan said Israeli settlers attacked a humanitarian aid convoy on its way to Erez crossing in northern Gaza and “tampered with its contents” in the second such incident in less than a week.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Sufyan Qudah said the convoy which goes through the Israeli-occupied West Bank from Jordan later managed to continue on its journey and reach its destination in war-devastated Gaza.
“Jordan holds Israel responsible for the attack by extremist settlers ... it constitutes a breach of its legal obligations as an occupying power,” Qudah told Reuters.
Aid agencies in Gaza have less than a day’s fuel for trucks and tankers that deliver vital food, medicine, water and diesel to millions across the territory, threatening an almost complete shutdown of operations including bakeries and hospitals, humanitarian officials have warned, writes Jason Burke in Jerusalem and Malak A Tantesh in Rafah.
All main entry points to the south of Gaza are closed and there has been widespread looting of existing stocks in Rafah since aid agencies were forced to leave warehouses unguarded following warnings to evacuate the area from Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) ahead of the military offensive launched into the city on Tuesday morning.
“We are down to less fuel than in a single service station. It’s enough to last a day, basically,” said Georgios Petropoulos, head of the Gaza sub-office of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs. “After that, nothing will be moving, and the hospitals won’t be able to keep going for more than two or three days.”
A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo from Doha, Qatar on Tuesday to follow up on Gaza ceasefire negotiations.
It comes as Hamas official Osama Hamdan warned in a press conference in Beirut that if Israel’s military aggression continues in Rafah, there will be no ceasefire deal, Reuters reports.
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, added Hamas had offered amendments on Monday to an original Israeli proposal aimed at ending the impasse.
The deal text, as amended, suggests the remaining gaps can “absolutely be closed,” he said.
Israeli forces’ seizure of the main border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza raised fears that Israel might be beginning an incursion into Rafah.
Kirby said the Israelis had assured U.S. officials that the operation was of limited scope and duration and not a large-scale invasion.
Updated
Israel told the US its operation in Rafah was limited and designed to prevent weapons and funds from being smuggled into Gaza, White House national security adviser John Kirby said on Tuesday.
Talks on a hostage deal and ceasefire were resuming in Cairo on Tuesday with CIA drector William Burns attending and the two sides should be able to close the remaining gaps, Kirby added.
Police have clashed with students at several universities after protests spread from US college campuses to Europe. Demonstrations have taken place in Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam and Belgium, where students have set up encampments and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The UK is “imploring” Israel to reopen the Rafah border crossing into Gaza, a foreign minister told parliament.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon also echoed concerns over a threatened military offensive on the southern city of Rafah pointing out around half the population - some 600,000 - were children.
He said: “We are imploring Israel to ensure that the crossings that were shut are opened immediately, including in Rafah.
“We are deeply concerned about the prospect of a military incursion given the number of civilians that are sheltering there and the importance of Rafah in terms of crossing for aid.”
Xi Jinping, sensing a diplomatic opening, is stepping up China’s intervention in the Middle East crisis, issuing a joint statement with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to urge Israel not to go ahead with an offensive in Rafah.
The rare moment of Sino-European synergy is the latest effort by China to make its diplomatic mark in a region in which it has deep economic interests, but more shallow diplomatic moorings.
Beijing’s primary initiative is to try to effect a reconciliation between the two main Palestinian factions, the secular Fatah and Islamist Hamas and it hosted talks between the two groups last week. Palestinian unity is seen by China, as it has by Gulf states too, as a precondition to a coherent plan for the administration of Gaza and the West Bank, on whatever terms the war ends.
The head of the Hamas international relations office, Musa Abu Marzouk, said in an interview on Sunday that he expected Fatah and Hamas to return to Beijing for a second round of talks shortly.
US president Joe Biden warned the threat of antisemitism is growing in remarks honouring the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, as his support for Israel’s assault on Gaza divides his Democratic Party.
“Never again simply translated for me means: Never forget. Never forgetting means we must keep telling the story, we must keep teaching the truth,” Biden said as he addressed a bipartisan memorial held at the U.S. Capitol’s Emancipation Hall.
“The truth is we’re at risk of people not knowing the truth.”
Biden spoke seven months to the day after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 by Israeli tallies, in what Biden has called the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
“This hatred (of Jews) continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people in the world and requires our continued vigilance and outspokenness,” the US president said.
“Now here we are, not 75 years later, but just seven and a half months later, and people are already forgetting ... that Hamas unleashed this terror.
“I have not forgotten, nor have you. And we will not forget.”
Updated
A US State Department spokesperson said it remains its top priority to reach a ceasefire agreement that will lead to the release of hostages and that will allow a surge of humanitarian assistance both into Gaza and allow it to move around inside Gaza.
The spokesperson added: “We are working to ensure an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian assistance, to include the immediate reopening of Kerem Shalom for humanitarian assistance. Israel has committed to do that in no less than 24 hours.
“We have also repeatedly and consistently expressed our views on a major operation in Rafah.
“We believe the Rafah border crossing should be reopened for the movement of humanitarian assistance.”
Israel will continue its military assault in Rafah until Hamas forces in the region are destroyed or until the hostages held by Hamas are released.
The latest comments come from Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
In a statement, Gallant said:
This operation will continue until we eliminate Hamas in the Rafah area and the entire Gaza Strip, or until the first hostage returns…
In his remarks Tuesday, Netanyahu also said that military pressure is still needed to return the hostages being held by Hamas.
Netanyahu added that Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah is “a very significant step towards destruction of remaining military capabilities of Hamas”.
But others have been critical of the military action. United Nations secretary-general António Guterres said that the assault on Rafah “would be a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare.”
Netanyahu: ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas falls short of key demands
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas falls short of essential demands, Reuters reported.
Netanyahu’s comments come as diplomatic sources say the agreement approved by Hamas is similar to the Egyptian proposal Israel already agreed to, Haaretz reported on Monday.
According to a foreign diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations, the outline Hamas accepted Monday night is, at its core, the same as the Egyptian proposal which Israel has already approved.
Since Sunday, CIA chief William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani have held several meetings, during which an outline was reached based on the existing proposal – and it was this that enabled the breakthrough to Hamas’ acceptance of the deal.
Another diplomat closely familiar with the proposal said that “the ball is now in Netanyahu’s court.”
Updated
Turkey has said that Israel’s attacks on Rafah show that Israel is not acting in good faith, Reuters reported.
Turkey’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said that Israel’s offensive came “amid such a positive development towards ending the destruction and massacre in Gaza”.
The assault on Rafah came after Hamas accepted a Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal. Israel has since said that the ceasefire does not meet their core requirements.
“An offensive on Rafah will affect not only the region but the whole world. Israel must immediately withdraw from the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing,” Keceli said on X.
Updated
An Israeli hostage, 70, died after succumbing to injuries sustained from an Israeli shelling, a spokesperson of Hamas said in a statement, Reuters reported.
Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing al-Qassam Brigades, gave a statement about the 70-year-old hostage’s death.
The victim’s name has not been publicized.
This day so far
It is just after 5.10pm in Gaza and Tel Aviv.
Here’s what’s happened today:
The UN secretary-general warned that Gaza may run out of fuel as quickly as tonight following Israel’s closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing and seizure of the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt. Speaking at a press conference, António Guterres said “agreement between the government of Israel and the leadership of Hamas is essential to stop the unbearable suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and the hostages and their families.”
Guterres added that Israel’s attacks on Rafah “would be a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare.”
Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said it was a mistake to have sent a negotiating team to Cairo today. In a statement Bezalel said that sending the delegation to Cairo “falls into the manipulative trap set by Hamas together with Qatar and Egypt”.
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, told the media that despite the explicit warnings of the EU, the US and others, Israel’s determination to carry out an offensive in Rafah will lead to the deaths of more civilians “whatever they say”.
Stay tuned for further updates as we continue coverage on this live blog.
Guterres: Gaza risks running out of fuel this evening after border crossings closed by Israel
The UN secretary-general has warned that Gaza may run out of fuel as quickly as tonight following Israel’s closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing and seizure of the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Speaking at a press conference, António Guterres said “agreement between the government of Israel and the leadership of Hamas is essential to stop the unbearable suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and the hostages and their families.”
He appealed for both parties to show “political courage, and spare no effort to secure an agreement to stop the bloodshed, to free the hostages, and to help stabilise the region.”
Chastising Israel for closing access to Gaza, he said “the closure of both Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings is especially damaging to an already dire humanitarian situation. They must be reopened immediately. Just to give you an example, we risk running out of fuel this evening.”
Israel says it closed the Kerem Shalom crossing for security reasons after a barrage of rockets claimed by Hamas killed four Israeli soldiers stationed near the crossing on Sunday.
Reminding both Hamas and Israel of obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, he said “Even the best friends of Israel are clear an assault on Rafah would be a strategic mistake, a political calamity and a humanitarian nightmare. I appeal to all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to help avert even more tragedy.”
He said “the international community has a shared responsibility to promote a humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and a massive surge in life-saving aid.”
António Guterres has finished speaking. He did not take questions. As he was leaving a journalist was calling out “What do you want the security council to do? Do you want them to act?”
Rafah assault 'a political calamity and humanitarian nightmare,' warns UN secretary-general
António Guterres says “Even the best friends of Israel are clear an assault on Rafah would be a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare.”
Updated
The UN general secretary António Guterres has said he is “disturbed and distressed by the renewed military activity” in Gaza, and has called for Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings to be reopened immediately.
The UN secretary-general is speaking. You can watch it here …
Israel's finance minister says it was a 'mistake' to send a delegation to Cairo for talks
Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has said it was a mistake to have sent a negotiating team to Cairo today. In a statement he said:
Sending the delegation to Cairo is a mistake and falls into the manipulative trap set by Hamas together with Qatar and Egypt. This is the time to press more and more on the neck of Yahya Sinwar and Hamas until they are destroyed.
You must not give in to international pressure and you must not stop until victory and the submission of the enemy. This is our war of independence and we must win it.
A spokesperson for the US state department has told Reuters in an email that the US has “made its views clear” about a major ground invasion of Rafah.
“We continue to believe that a hostage deal is in the best interest of the Israeli and the Palestinian people; it would bring an immediate ceasefire and allow increased humanitarian assistance into Gaza,” the spokesperson said.
It is the first official US response since Israel seized control of the Rafah border crossing inside Gaza.
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from Gaza and Israel.
The National Union of Journalists in the UK has criticised Israel’s government for its decision at the weekend to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in the country.
In a statement, NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said:
Those with secrets to hide or who are ashamed of their actions forcibly close down television stations. Targeting Al Jazeera as the Israeli government has is a direct attack on free speech that brings shame on those responsible – I hope they will soon realise their error and reverse this decision.
The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has said he remains “deeply concerned” about the prospect of what he called a “full military incursion of Rafah”.
Speaking in south-east London, PA Media reports he said Israel and Hamas needed to “continue talking, negotiating, getting around the table”.
He went on to say:
We’ve been consistent in saying that we want to see an immediate humanitarian pause in this conflict so that we can crucially release the hostages, get them back to their families and get more aid in to Gaza, people desperately need it, and then use that pause to build a more lasting and sustainable ceasefire.
When it comes to the question of Rafah, again I’ve been clear that we are deeply concerned about the full military incursion of Rafah, given the humanitarian consequences of that. I’ve made that point specifically to prime minister Netanyahu whenever I’ve spoken to him
Police in Berlin have broken up a protest by several hundred pro-Palestinian activists who had occupied a courtyard on Berlin’s Free University earlier in the day, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
The protesters had put up about 20 tents and formed a human chain around the tents. Police called on the students via loudspeakers to leave the campus, the AP says.
The agency reports that most protesters had covered their faces with medical masks and had draped kufiyahs around their heads, shouting slogans like “viva, viva Palestina.” In recent days, students have held protests or set up encampments in Finland, Denmark, Italy, Spain, France and Britain, following earlier protests that have roiled US campuses.
Earlier today, we reported that police in Amsterdam had made up to 125 arrests in ending a protest there.
The Palestinian Authority is calling on the United States to “intervene immediately” to prevent Israel from invading Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, the official Palestinian WAFA news agency reports.
This echoes language emanating from Saudi Arabia, whose foreign ministry called on the international community to “intervene immediately to stop the genocide carried out by the occupation forces” on Monday evening.
Our picture editors have put together this gallery of student protests about the Israel-Gaza conflict from around the world.
'Mid-level' Israeli team heads to Cairo to assess Hamas position
A team of mid-ranking Israeli officials will go to Cairo in the next few hours to assess whether Hamas can be persuaded to shift on its latest ceasefire offer, a senior Israeli official said on Tuesday, reiterating that the proposal as it currently stands was unacceptable to Israel.
“This delegation is made up of mid-level envoys. Were there a credible deal in the offing, the principals would be heading the delegation,” the official told Reuters.
It is believed that Hamas has been insisting that any hostage deal should involve a ceasefire that directly leads to the end of the war. Israel’s position is that it is determined to destroy Hamas, and envisages only a pause for a hostage-detainee swap, before resuming its military campaign.
Hamas has also released a statement condemning Israel for closing the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings into Gaza. It said:
By deciding to close the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings, Israel is leading the region toward a disaster and continues its policy of starvation and persecution of Palestinian. International intervention is required. The Biden administration and the international community bear full responsibility for the war’s continuation.
Israel says it closed the Kerem Shalom crossing for security reasons after a barrage of rockets was aimed at Israeli troops near it on Sunday by Hamas, killing four.
Israeli troops are currently operating at the Rafah crossing inside Gaza, with the IDF claiming it is acting on intelligence that the crossing was being used for “terrorist purposes”.
The Times of Israel is reporting that for the second consecutive night Israel’s military says it shot down a drone aimed at Israel from Iraq. It said the drone was intercepted last night before it reached Israeli airspace. Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed to have launched it.
Reuters has spoken to a man in Rafah who said his wife and children had been killed. He told the news agency “We’re patient and we will remain steadfast on this land. We are waiting for liberation and this battle will be for liberation, God willing.”
Hani Mahmoud, reporting for Al Jazeera from Rafah, has written that “the situation is getting more difficult by the hour with the presence of the Israeli military.”
He went on to say:
Within the past hour or so, many injured people have arrived at Kuwaiti hospital. They are from the vicinity of the Rafah crossing, as well as from areas that were heavily bombed in overnight attacks on the eastern part of the city.
There’s a sense of chaos as people don’t have much trust in the Israeli narrative. They’re taking matters into their own hands. They’re going to areas that they think may provide some safety for them and their family members, but they realise there is no safe place in the entire Gaza Strip.
Al Jazeera has been banned from operating within Israel by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Al Jazeera is reporting that numerous injuries, including of children, has been caused by Israel’s military shelling an area in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.
More details soon …
UN agencies: Gaza is 'choked off' from aid by Israel's closure of border crossings
The UN’s humanitarian office spokesperson Jens Laerke said at a Geneva press briefing earlier that Israel had shut both the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings as part of its Rafah military operation.
“The two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza are currently choked off,” he said, saying that UN agencies had very low stocks inside the Gaza Strip since humanitarian supplies are consumed straight away.
“If no fuel comes in for a prolonged period of time it would be a very effective way of putting the humanitarian operation in its grave,” Reuters reports he added.
Unicef spokesperson James Elder has given an update on the humanitarian crisis for children in Rafah and the wider Gaza Strip at a press conference in Geneva.
He said:
Every warning. Every image of children killed and injured. Every heartbreaking story of bloodshed and despair. Every mind-boggling piece of data of the sheer number of children and mothers killed. Of family homes and hospitals destroyed. It’s all been ignored. Our worst fears, Gaza’s nightmare, appears to be a reality.
He went on to list what he said were seven reason why Unicef and other humanitarian agencies were calling for a ceasefire and the prevention of a ground assault on Rafah, including:
Half of all Gaza’s children are currently in Rafah
If safety is defined as “freedom from bombardment” and access to “safe water, protection, food and medicines” then there is nowhere safe in Gaza
There is only one toilet per 850 people in Rafah, and the provision in the area that Israel is defining as “safe” – Al Mawasi – is worse
Rafah has Gaza’s last remaining functioning large hospital
A military assault on Rafah will “greatly complicate” the provision of humanitarian aid
People are exhausted, malnourished and sick
Many children with disabilities, medical conditions and injuries are being asked to move again
Elder finished by saying:
This past weekend’s events in Gaza, the continued killing of children, more attacks from the warring parties, and now evacuation orders, yet again expose how parties to this conflict continue to utterly disregard the lives and protection of civilians and of children.
This has to change and this is the last moment for that to change. Aid must flow. Hostages must be freed. Rafah must not be invaded. And children must stop being killed. We’ve pleaded, we have implored, countless times, and we do so once more. For the children of Rafah we need a ceasefire now.
Emanuel Fabian, military correspondent at the Times of Israel, has posted this video which he says shows Israeli driving along the Egypt-Gaza border with what he describes as “obnoxiously large flags”.
Israeli military vehicles drive along the Egypt-Gaza border with obnoxiously large flags. pic.twitter.com/5VArNIp7o1
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 7, 2024
Video released by the Israeli army shows its forces operating at the Rafah crossing, including a tank driving over a Gaza sign. The video also illustrates that troops have raised an Israeli flag in the Palestinian territory. The Rafah crossing is at the border between Gaza and Egypt.
In the wider region, Iran has been hosting International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi. Reuters reports that in a joint press conference in Tehran with Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami, the pair have said their talks have been positive and productive.
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from Rafah and the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz has said that “the work of persuasion on the political front is becoming more difficult” and that if Hamas was not holding hostages, Israel would have already crushed it.
In a post in Hebrew on social media, Katz described Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as “sadistic” and said the hostages are the only weapon that Hamas has.
He wrote “The entry of the IDF into Rafah promotes the two main goals of the war: the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”
He said:
The work of persuasion on the political front is becoming more difficult – but I will do everything to meet the task and allow our heroic soldiers to complete the work.
The Hamas-led health authority in Gaza has issued new casualty figures, saying that Israel’s military assault on the territory has killed 34,789 Palestinians and wounded 78,204 people. Many more missing people are believed to be dead under rubble after the months-long aerial bombardment by Israel’s military.
Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting that 20 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Rafah on Tuesday morning. It reports an additional person was killed by a strike on Gaza City. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
EU's Borrell: Rafah offensive will lead to a lot of civilian deaths 'whatever they say'
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has told the media that despite the explicit warnings of the EU, the US and others, Israel’s determination to carry out an offensive in Rafah will lead to the deaths of more civilians “whatever they say”
Reuters quotes him saying:
The Rafah offensive has started again, in spite all the requests of the international community, the US, the European Union member states, everybody asking Netanyahu not to attack.
I am afraid that this is going to cause again a lot of casualties, civilian casualties. Whatever they say. There are no safe zones in Gaza.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported a merchant vessel notifying it that the crew witnessed two explosions in close proximity south of Aden in Yemen.
More details soon …
This map from our graphics team shows the area that Israel’s military is operating in, having announced that it has seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Israel’s military has issued a handout picture of them operating at the Rafah crossing on the border between Gaza and Egypt. Yesterday Egypt said it had raised its military’s level of preparedness in northern Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip.
Police in the Netherlands are reported to have made up to 125 arrests in ending a protest against the Israel-Gaza conflict at Amsterdam university.
Israel claims it had intelligence that 'indicated Rafah crossing was being used for terrorist purposes'
The Israeli military has given an operational briefing on its official Telegramn channel, in which it claims it has targeted the Rafah crossing because it had "intelligence that indicated that the Rafah Crossing in eastern Rafah was being used for terrorist purposes”.
Describing the operation as “precise”, the IDF claimed:
Prior to the operation, the IDF encouraged residents in the area of eastern Rafah to temporarily evacuate to the expanded humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, where the IDF has facilitated the expansion of field hospitals, tents, and an increase in water, food, and medical supplies. International organizations working in the area were also encouraged to temporarily evacuate prior to the beginning of the operation.
Unrwa, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, has indiciated that it would continue its operation in Rafah, where over one million people have fled to due to Israel’s military assault on other areas of Gaza.
The IDF statement continued:
Following intelligence that indicated that the Rafah Crossing in eastern Rafah was being used for terrorist purposes, IDF troops managed to establish operational control of the Gazan side of the crossing. On Sunday, mortars were fired from the area of the Rafah Crossing toward the area of the Kerem Shalom Crossing, as a result of which four IDF soldiers were killed and a number of other soldiers injured.
It then claimed to have killed what it said was approximately 20 Hamas fighters, and to have located “three operational tunnel shafts”.
It said the operation continues. The claims have not been independently verified.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog for the next few hours. You can reach me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
Israel says Kerem Shalom crossing closed
In an early morning press briefing, the Israeli military says the Kerem Shalom crossing is closed on Tuesday for security reasons and will reopen once the security situation allows, reports Reuters.
It’s as the military confirms it has taken operational control of the Palestinian side of Gaza’s southern Rafah Crossing, which borders Egypt, and that special forces were scanning the area.
The IDF said forces had been operating since last night in a specific area of eastern Rafah, from which it said most people and some international organisations had evacuated.
Israeli military forces have taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, a key strategic objective and the sole gateway between Egypt and Gaza for humanitarian aid, Israeli military officials have confirmed.
“At the moment we have operational control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing and we have special forces scanning the crossing … That is what is happening in the upcoming hours. The operation is not over … I can’t give a timeline,” a military official said on Tuesday morning.
The spokesperson of the Gaza border authority on Tuesday confirmed the presence of Israeli tanks at the Rafah crossing. Aid officials in the territory said that the flow of aid through the crossing has been halted.
The Israeli operation comes as ahead of a new round of indirect negotiations on a ceasefire in Cairo following an announcement by Hamas leaders on Monday night that they would accept a recent proposal for a deal. Israeli officials say they will send a delegation for further talks although the deal did not meet its core demands and vowed to push ahead with an often threatened assault on Rafah.
Read the rest of our latest report here by Jason Burke in Jerusalem and Julian Borger in Washington
Israeli forces say they have taken control of Rafah crossing on Gaza side
An Israeli military official has confirmed that Israel has established operational control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, which borders Egypt in southern Gaza.
Reuters reports that a Gaza border crossing authority spokesperson has told the news agency that the Rafah crossing was closed due to the presence of Israeli tanks.
Three humanitarian sources also told Reuters that the flow of aid through the crossing is now halted.
A military official says:
At the moment we have operational control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing and we have special forces scanning the crossing … That is what is happening in the upcoming hours. The operation is not over … I can’t give a timeline
Updated
Al Jazeera news is reporting that it’s received a copy of the latest ceasefire proposal approved by Hamas.
Some of the detail includes that Hamas is to release “33 Israeli captives (alive or dead), including women (civilians and soldiers), children (under the age of 19 who are not soldiers), those over the age of 50, and the sick” in the first phase, in exchange for a number of prisoners.
It also says that Hamas will release “all living Israeli female soldiers” in return for prisoners.
The text says in the second stage “Israeli forces shall withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip”.
It’s been reported that this latest proposed truce is a three-stage plan.
Updated
In the other developments over the last few hours, Hezbollah says it has carried out a drone attack on an Israeli military position near the northern Israeli town of Metula on Monday according to Reuters.
The Israeli military later confirmed two soldiers were killed in the attack.
Hezbollah also says it has sent dozens of rockets towards military targets across the border with Israel.
Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in daily cross-border strikes over the past six months, in parallel with Israel’s war in Gaza.
Hezbollah has so far restricted its attacks to a strip of northern Israel, seeking to draw Israeli forces away from Gaza, explains Reuters.
It’s 8:05am in Gaza and Tel Aviv, welcome back to our live blog on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis, where we’ll be keeping you up to late on the latest developments.
Qatar is set to send a delegation to Cairo Tuesday morning to resume indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel on a possible ceasefire deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the proposal from Hamas “is far from Israel’s essential demands”, but the government would send negotiators for talks “to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement”.
It’s as Israel carried out strikes on Rafah, with an Agence France-Presse correspondent in the city reporting heavy bombardment throughout the night. The Kuwaiti hospital there said in an updated toll on Tuesday that 11 people had been killed and dozens of others injured in the strikes.
After talks earlier in the day failed to produce an agreement, Hamas said Monday evening that it had informed mediators Egypt and Qatar of its “approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire” in the seven-month-old war, prompting cheering crowds to take to the streets of Rafah.
Close Israeli ally the United States said it was “reviewing” the Hamas response, reports Agence France-Presse.
Summary so far
It’s currently 5:15am in Gaza and Tel Aviv and we are pausing this blog for now. You can still see all of our coverage on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis.
But first, here’s a summary of what we know so far compiled by our Guardian staff:
Israel carried out airstrikes in eastern Rafah after issuing orders for the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from part of the city earlier on Monday, triggering an exodus of thousands of people. The Israeli military said late on Monday it was conducting targeted strikes against Hamas in Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinian civilians are sheltering.
There were reports of Israeli tanks being seen on the eastern outskirts of Rafah and a Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official said they had reached as close as 200 metres from Rafah’s crossing with neighbouring Egypt. The Axios news site cited unnamed sources as saying Israeli forces planned to take over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, the sole gateway between Egypt and Gaza for humanitarian supplies and people. The Guardian could not independently verify that report.
Palestinian hospital officials said one strike on a house in Rafah late Monday killed five Palestinians, including a woman and a girl. Twenty-two people including two babies and other children were killed in earlier strikes on Monday.
The strikes came as Hamas said it had agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators. 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, prompting initial celebrations from Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
However, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the truce proposal fell short of Israel’s demands and that his war cabinet had approved continuing an operation in Rafah. Netanyahu’s office said Israel would still send a delegation to meet with negotiators to try to reach an agreement. Qatar’s foreign ministry said its delegation would head to Cairo on Tuesday.
One Israeli official said 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. “[We] don’t recognise some,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
Hundreds of Israelis converged on the main military headquarters in Tel Aviv calling for a deal. Smaller gatherings were reported in Jerusalem and other cities across Israel. “Hamas’s announcement must pave the way for the return of the 132 hostages held captive by Hamas for the past seven months. Now is the time for all that are involved to fulfil their commitment and turn this opportunity into a deal for the return of all the hostages,” a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
US president Joe Biden urged Netanyahu not to launch an offensive in Rafah, the White House said. The leaders’ call occurred before Hamas announced it had accepted a ceasefire proposal. Biden told Netanyahu he still believes reaching a ceasefire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, officials said.
Biden also hosted King Abdullah II of Jordan for a private lunch meeting at the White House on Monday to discuss the war and hostage talks. Jordan’s embassy in Washington said in a posting on the social media site X following the leaders’ meeting that Abdullah warned that an Israeli operation on Rafah “threatens to lead to a new massacre.”
For more, see our full write-up on what we know so far on the latest developments:
The US military has posted on X in the last couple of hours that its forces destroyed an “uncrewed aerial system (UAS)” or a drone, launched by Houthi group in Yemen over the Red Sea.
The Houthis have been launching attacks on shipping in the Red Sea saying they are attacking Israeli-linked shipping in solidarity with Palestinians, however their attacks have also targeted vessels with no links to the country.
May 6 Red Sea Update
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 6, 2024
At approximately 10:47 a.m. (Sanaa time) on May 6, 2024, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists over the Red Sea.
It was determined the… pic.twitter.com/v2CyX3yUxm
Thousands of Israelis have rallied around the country on Monday night, calling for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to the terms of a ceasefire deal that Hamas accepted earlier in the day.
Around 1,000 protesters gathered near the defence headquarters in Tel Aviv, while in Jerusalem, at least 100 protesters marched toward Netanyahu’s residence with a banner reading, “The blood is on your hands.”
In Tel Aviv, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan Zangauker is still held in Gaza, told a gathered crowd that it was “time to accept the deal”.
Brandishing a megaphone, Zangauker stood on the roof of a car and spoke in front of a large crowd of protesters.
“We’re not going to let you continue to abandon the children,” she said.
In a post on X, Israeli 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,” he wrote.
As the war in Gaza goes on, we’re hearing that the United Nations General Assembly could vote on Friday on a draft resolution that would recognise the Palestinians as qualified to become a full UN member.
It would also recommend that the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”, reports Reuters news agency.
Reuters says that it would effectively act as a global survey of how much support the Palestinians have for their bid. An earlier attempt was vetoed in the UN Security Council last month by the United States.
An application to become a full UN member needs to be approved by the 15-member Security Council and then the General Assembly.
Meanwhile protests continue in the US over the Israel-Gaza war.
We’re hearing that pro-Palestinian protesters that had been blocked by police from accessing an encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Monday have broken through fencing, linked arms and encircled tents that remained there.
Associated Press reports that protesters also sat in the middle of Massachusetts Avenue, blocking the street during rush hour in the Boston area.
Sam Ihns, a graduate student at MIT studying mechanical engineering and a member of MIT Jews for a Ceasefire, said the group has been at the encampment for the past two weeks and that they were calling for an end to the killing of thousands of people in Gaza.
“Specifically, our encampment is protesting MIT’s direct research ties to the Israeli Ministry of Defense,” he said.
It comes as Columbia University has canceled its university-wide commencement ceremony following weeks of pro-Palestinian protests.
Updated
Here is some of a thread from a statement posted on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s X page a few hours ago.
On the truce Netanyahu says “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.”
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.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 6, 2024
But the Israeli prime minister also vowed to continue action in Rafah.
Israel has ordered an evacuation of some 100,000 Palestinians from eastern neighborhoods of Rafah. Approximately more than 1 million civilians from other parts of Gaza have been sheltering from the war in the area.
In the statement on X Netanyahu said “The War Cabinet unanimously decided this evening Israel will continue its operation in Rafah, in order to apply military pressure on Hamas so as to advance the release of our hostages and achieve the other objectives of the war.”
Statement from the Prime Minister's Office:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 6, 2024
The War Cabinet unanimously decided this evening Israel will continue its operation in Rafah, in order to apply military pressure on Hamas so as to advance the release of our hostages and achieve the other objectives of the war.
The latest information made public about a ceasefire proposal centres around a three-stage deal, that’s according to the Hamas deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, who spoke to Al Jazeera TV.
The Reuters news agency has more on the latest proposed deal. The Guardian has not been able to verify the information and what’s on the table remains unclear.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, has told Reuters that the proposal that Hamas has approved is a watered-down version of an Egyptian offer and includes elements that Israel can not accept.
Having said that – here is what we know:
Phase one:
Reuters reports this would last for 42-days as a ceasefire period. Hamas would release 33 Israeli hostages in return for Israel releasing Palestinians from Israeli jails.
Israel would partially withdraw its troops from Gaza and allow free movement of Palestinians from south to north Gaza.
Phase two:
Another 42-day period would commence that features an agreement to restore a “sustainable calm” to Gaza, language that an official briefed on the talks said Hamas and Israel had agreed in order to take discussion of a “permanent ceasefire” off the table.
There would be the complete withdrawal of most Israeli troops from Gaza.
Hamas releases Israeli reservists and some soldiers in return for Israel releasing Palestinians from jail.
Phase three:
The completion of exchanging bodies and starting the implementation of reconstruction according to the plan overseen by Qatar, Egypt and the United Nations.
Ending the complete blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Here are some of the latest images of people escaping Rafah after being told to evacuate by the Israeli military:
US president Joe Biden has spoken to the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him against launching an offensive in Rafah.
The White House said Biden had a call with Netanyahu on Monday underscoring US concerns about an invasion of Rafah, where more than 1 million civilians from other parts of Gaza are sheltering.
The leaders’ call occurred before Hamas announced it had accepted a cease-fire proposal.
Biden told Netanyahu he still believes reaching a cease-fire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, officials said.
White House officials also said on Monday they were privately concerned about the latest strikes on Rafah — though they did not appear to be the widescale attack Netanyahu has been threatening, according to a person familiar with administration thinking who was not authorised to comment publicly, reports Associated Press.
Tanks approach outskirts of Rafah, says Egyptian official
A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official say Israeli tanks have approached Rafah, and reached as close as 200 metres (yards) from the crossing with neighbouring Egypt, reports Associated Press.
It’s understood that area where the tanks are is on the outskirts of Rafah, in southern Gaza.
The Egyptian official said the operation appeared to be limited in scope, the AP reported. The news agency could not independently verify the scope of the operation.
The official and Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV said Israeli officials informed the Egyptians that its troops would withdraw after completing the operation.
The Israeli military declined to comment and the Guardian has not been able to independently verified the reports.
The Egyptian official, located across the border from Rafah, and the Palestinian security official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the press.
On Sunday, Hamas fighters near the Rafah crossing fired mortars into southern Israel, killing four Israeli soldiers.
Updated
Qatari mediators heading to Cairo
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.
Reged Ahmad here picking up our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war from Kari Paul.
The UN secretary general has posted on X in the last couple of hours ago calling on the Israeli government and Hamas leadership “come to an agreement & stop the suffering”.
“I’m deeply concerned by indications that a large-scale military operation in Rafah may be imminent,” he says.
I reiterate my urgent call to the Israeli government & Hamas leadership to come to an agreement & stop the suffering.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 6, 2024
I'm deeply concerned by indications that a large-scale military operation in Rafah may be imminent.
Protection of civilians is paramount in int'l humanitarian…
US official: Rafah strikes do not 'represent a major military operation'
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”.
Updated
The Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said on X that Israel is jeapordizing a ceasefire deal by continuing to bomb Rafah.
Tremendous effort has been made to produce an exchange deal that’ll release hostages & realize a ceasefire. Hamas has put out an offer. If Netanyahu genuinely wants a deal, he will negotiate the offer in earnest. Instead, he is jeopardizing the deal by bombing Rafah.
— Ayman Safadi (@AymanHsafadi) May 6, 2024
The statement comes after Abdullah II, the king of Jordan, warned during a meeting with Joe Biden on Monday that an Israeli attack on Rafah threatens to lead to a “new massacre” and that the international community “must take urgent action”.
Updated
The United Nations security council has announced its “intention” to hold closed consultations regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to Arab media outlet Al Mayadeen English.
#BREAKING | The #SecurityCouncil announces intention to hold closed consultations on the situation in the #MiddleEast again tomorrow, Tuesday#Gaza pic.twitter.com/KkWLNJ42iE
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 6, 2024
In March the council demanded a “lasting, sustainable ceasefire” and the release of all hostages.
Updated
Photos have emerged from some protests taking place outside the main military headquarters in Tel Aviv, calling for a ceasefire deal that would allow for the release of Israeli hostages. Smaller gatherings were reported in Jerusalem and other cities across Israel.
Saudi Arabia condemns targeting of Rafah
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.
Updated
Israel sending delegation to Egypt to discuss ceasefire, adding proposal 'far from meeting Israel's core demands'
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.
Footage published by Palestinian media outlets purports to show Israeli strikes and flares over eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/UFTYKO7707
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 6, 2024
Updated
Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned during a meeting with Joe Biden on Monday that an Israeli attack on Rafah threatens to lead to a “new massacre”, the Jordanian royal court said in a statement.
His Majesty King Abdullah II, during a meeting with #US President Joe Biden at the White House, says the international community must take urgent action to prevent a new catastrophe in #Gaza as a result of the Israeli attack on #Rafah #Jordan pic.twitter.com/PqsvP1rti1
— RHC (@RHCJO) May 6, 2024
Updated
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.
לתרגילים והמשחקים של החמאס יש רק תשובה אחת: פקודה מיידית לכיבוש רפיח! הגברת הלחץ הצבאי, והמשך כתישתו המלאה של חמאס, עד הכרעתו המוחלטת.
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 6, 2024
Israel’s diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, posted on X: “FCK HMS”.
— עמיחי שיקלי - Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) May 6, 2024
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
Updated
What we know so far
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!
Updated
UN secretary-general António Guterres has called on Israel to “go the extra mile” to reach a ceasefire deal and “stop the present suffering”, his spokesperson said.
Stéphane Dujarric added that Guterres is concerned about “indications” that a large-scale military operation in Rafah. Guterres added that civilians should be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Updated
IDF confirms it has begun striking eastern Rafah
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”.
The IDF is currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/bmZgoNKXMB
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 6, 2024
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.
Updated
Israel's military announces strikes in eastern Rafah
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.
Updated
Israel 'still plans to proceed with Rafah invasion plans'
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.
BREAKING: Israeli prime minister's office: The War Cabinet unanimously decided that Israel continues the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to promote the release of our hostages and the other goals of the war
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) May 6, 2024
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.
Updated
The White House is aware of a report that a US soldier was detained in Russia over the weekend, national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
More lines on this as we get it.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh reviewed with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani the “required measures” to guarantee implementing the ceasefire proposal, the Palestinian group said in a statement.
Hamas earlier said it had accepted a proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators after weeks of stop-start talks on a deal for a temporary pause in fighting and the release of hostages to Israel.
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called in a statement to exert more effort to reach a deal in Gaza, saying he was closely following positive developments of the current negotiations to reach “a comprehensive truce”.
Meanwhile, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he held a phone call with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Monday to discuss efforts to end the fighting in Gaza, as well as the militant group’s decision to accept a ceasefire in the enclave.
“During the call, in which I stated that I found it positive for Hamas to take such a decision with Turkey’s suggestion, we emphasised that Israel must take a step for a lasting ceasefire too,” Erdogan said on X.
Updated
White House 'reviewing' response by Hamas to ceasefire and hostage release deal
The White House has said it was reviewing a response by the Islamist Hamas militant group to a ceasefire and hostage release deal, but declined to give any details of what was agreed.
CIA director William Burns was in the region having discussions on the proposal, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
“We want to get these hostages out, we want to get a ceasefire in place for six weeks, we want to increase humanitarian assistance,” Kirby said, adding that reaching an agreement would be the “absolute best outcome.”
Updated
At the state department, spokesperson Matthew Miller, gave an initial response to the Hamas announcement that they had accepted a ceasefire deal, which he said the administration had received shortly after midday.
“I can confirm that Hamas has issued a response. We are reviewing that response now,” Miller said. “As you know, Director Burns, [CIA chief William Burns] is in the region working on this in real time. We will be discussing this response with our partners over the coming hours.
“We continue to believe that a hostage deal is in the best interests of the Israeli people, it’s in the best interest of the Palestinian people, it would bring an immediate ceasefire, it would allow increased movement of humanitarian assistance, and so we’re going to continue to work to try to reach one.”
Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the Hamas chief told him in a phone call that the ball is now in Israel’s court after the group had agreed to an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal.
Amirabdollahian also said on X that Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh had told him: “We are sincere in our intentions.”
Updated
The United States is “quite concerned” about Israel’s shutdown of Al Jazeera’s operations in the country, US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said today, a day after Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used as the TV station’s local office.
Washington thinks Qatari-owned Al Jazeera ought to be able to operate in Israel, Miller added.
Updated
The United States will discuss Hamas’s response to a ceasefire proposal with allies in the Middle East in the coming hours, state department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
An Israeli official said no ceasefire agreement had been reached despite the Palestinian militant group Hamas saying on Monday it had accepted a proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Updated
Ceasefire deal Hamas has agreed to will take place in three phases
A Hamas official said that the ceasefire deal they agreed to will take place in three phases, Reuters reported.
Khalil Al-Hayya, the deputy chief of Hamas, said that each stage of the agreement is 42 days long.
The first stage of the agreement will feature an Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap, which includes Israeli civilians.
The second phase mandates that Israel completely withdraw from Gaza.
Updated
Miller said that a ceasefire is still “absolutely achievable”, amid mixed receptions from Israel following Hamas’s latest announcement that they accepted a ceasefire deal.
“A ceasefire is absolutely achievable,” Miller said, adding that the US supports a separate deal that would achieve an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Miller again declined to comment on what he called Hamas’s “response” to a ceasefire agreement as it is still being reviewed.
US spokesman says Israel should hold off a military offensive in Rafah
Miller said that Israel should hold off a military offensive in Rafah as it would “dramatically” increase the suffering of people in Palestine.
“We cannot support an operation in Rafah as it is currently envisioned,” Miller said, adding that the US’s position on this has not changed.
“We believe a military operation in Rafah right now would dramatically increase the suffering of the Palestinian people…would dramatically disrupt the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” he added.
Updated
Miller declined to comment on reports that Hamas may have agreed to a ceasefire deal that the US was not involved with.
“I’ve seen those suggestions … Because we are working on this in real time and trying to reach an agreement, I’m just going to decline to comment [in] detail about any of those reports,” Miller said.
Updated
US confirms Hamas has 'issued a response' to ceasefire proposal
Miller confirmed that Hamas has “issued a response”, when asked about Hamas’s announcement that they accepted a ceasefire deal.
“We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region,” Miller said.
“We continue to believe that a hostage deal is in the best interest of the Israeli people. It’s in the best interest of the Palestinian people,” Miller added, noting that a deal would also ensure aid to Gaza.
Updated
The US state department briefing is now underway.
State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US opposes Israel’s shutdown of the Al Jazeera Network and that the network should be allowed to operate in Israel.
“We support media freedom from all around the world and we are quite concerned about this action,” said Miller.
Updated
IDF says Hamas announcement doesn't change 'operational' action in Gaza
An IDF spokesperson said that Israel will continue to act in a “operational manner” in the Gaza strip despite Hamas announcing that they accepted a Gaza ceasefire deal on Monday.
When asked if the ceasefire notification changes anything, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Israel is “exploring every single thing we hear”, referring to the ceasefire deal.
Hagari added that Israel officials “examine every answer and response in the most seriously manner and are exhausting every possibility regarding negotiations and returning the hostages,” during a media briefing.
But Hagari said that Israel is going to continue to act in an operational manner, saying earlier that Israel has a right to defend itself.
From Hagari:
We are exploring every single thing that we hear and we are exhausting the potential about negotiations and bringing back the hostages and that is our main mission, to bring them home as quickly as possible, but in parallel, we are continuing to act in an operational manner in the Gaza strip and we will continue to do so.
Updated
An Israeli official is now giving remarks following Hamas’s announcement of the agreed ceasefire deal.
Stay tuned for further updates.
A Hamas official told Reuters that the deal Hamas agreed to includes a ceasefire, the return of displaced people, the reconstruction of Gaza, and a prisoner swap.
Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official, shared additional details of the agreement with Reuters.
Other Israeli news sources are reporting that Israeli officials are not seriously considering the truce that Hamas agreed to.
N12 News, an Israeli news site, is reporting that senior officials in Israel are not taking the deal seriously and believe it is a “far-reaching” proposal that is not acceptable to Israel.
גורמים בכירים בישראל: לא מתייחסים ברצינות, זו הצעה מרחיקת לכת שלא מקובלת על ישראל@amit_segal
— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) May 6, 2024
Hamas acceptance 'appears to be a ruse', says Israeli official
Here are the full remarks from the Israeli official who described the truce Hamas agreed to as a “softened” version to Reuters.
The official spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity.
This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal…
Updated
Israel does not approve of 'softened' proposal Hamas accepts, Israeli official says
An Israeli official said that Hamas accepted a “softened” version of an Egyptian proposal that Israel does not approve of, Reuters reported.
The official added that the announcement from Hamas about the accepted deal appears to be a “ruse” to make it appear as if Israel is refusing the ceasefire agreement.
Israeli media has also reported that Israel will likely not accept the Gaza ceasefire deal, which is also being described as “one-sided”.
Israeli media reporting that Israel not likely to accept the ceasefire deal that Hamas approved, saying it was a "softened" or "one-sided" Egyptian version. https://t.co/T995ZC46v7
— Aric Toler (@AricToler) May 6, 2024
Updated
There was no immediate comment from Israel on the deal, and details of the proposal have not yet been released, the AP reports.
In recent days, Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the cease-fire would take place in a series of stages, during which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza.
It is not clear whether the deal will meet Hamas’s key demand of bringing about an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal.
Hamas said in a statement its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister.
After the release of the statement, Palestinians erupted in cheers in the sprawling tent camps around Rafah, hoping the deal meant an Israeli attack had been averted.
Hamas has told mediators it accepts Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire deal
Hamas says it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal to halt seven-month war with Israel.
It issued a statement Monday saying its supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister.
The two Middle Eastern nations have been mediating months of talks between Israel and Hamas. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Follow live for the latest updates and reactions as we get them.
Updated
