IDF take out 20 Hamas gunmen after tanks roll into Rafah & take control of crossing as ceasefire deal hangs by a thread
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.
This morning, Israeli tanks and soldiers 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.
read more on israel-hamas war
It said they killed 20 Hamas militants and located three “significant” tunnel shafts in the first day of its of what it predicts will be a six-week assault.
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.
It prompted celebrations on the streets of Gaza, particularly Rafah, as Palestinians believed an end to the seven months of gruelling war was near.
However, Israel rejected the proposal by saying it 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.
