The Independent’s Bel Trew reporting from Israel-Gaza border
Egypt’s foreign minister has said Israel is yet to take a stance which allows the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip to open, as hopes of a deal to enable aid to be brought into the enclave appeared to falter.
With at least one million people already forced to flee their homes in northern Gaza, international mediators had previously appeared close to striking a deal for Egypt to open the southern border to allow foreign citizens to escape the Israeli bombardment and feared ground offensive.
The US Embassy in Israel has told its citizens in the enclave to “move closer” to the Egyptian border as it may only “open for a limited time” to allow while the situation remains “fluid and unpredictable”, as US president Joe Biden warned Israel that occupying Gaza would be a “big mistake”.
The Israeli military has announced they are preparing for a coordinated offensive in Gaza using air, ground and naval forces and has ordered citizens to move south, accusing Hamas of trying to use them as human shields.
