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Truce talks resume after Rafah operation

The Israeli military had ordered an evacuation of parts of Rafah ahead of its "limited operation". Credit: IDF handout

Israel's army says it has seized the Rafah crossing, at Gaza’s border with Egypt, after continuously bombarding the east of the city overnight. The Israel Defense Forces said "targeted strikes" had killed 20 Hamas fighters, and released images of tanks near checkpoint buildings. Meanwhile, talks over a ceasefire are set to resume after Hamas said it would accept a deal drawn up by Egyptian mediators. Israel rejected its terms, described by an official as "softened". Nevertheless, writes Jeremy Bowen, the development puts Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a political bind. His coalition government depends on the support of Jewish ultranationalists, who demand full occupation of Rafah. But he is also under increasing pressure from some families of Israeli hostages in Gaza, as well as his US ally, to accept a deal that would return the captives and alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in the Strip.

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• Watch: Before Israel rejected it, Hamas's ceasefire proposal was celebrated by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday evening. Take a look.   

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• The broader conflict: Lebanese Shia Islamist group Hezbollah has said if the truce deal were accepted it would pause the cross-border attacks it has carried out on Israel since October, Hugo Bachega reports from Lebanon.

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• The latest: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has condemned Israel's offensive on Rafah. Our live page has more updates. 

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