Israeli forces seize Rafah crossing

The Israeli military has seized control of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, moving forward with an offensive in the southern city as prospects for a ceasefire deal with Hamas hang in the balance, reports Al Jazeera.

Israel’s 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing on Tuesday morning, a day after the Palestinian group governing Gaza said it accepted an Egyptian-Qatari mediated ceasefire proposal. Israel, meanwhile, insisted the deal did not meet its core demands.

The Rafah crossing is crucial for both aid and those able to flee into Egypt. Israeli leaders long anticipated a military operation into the southern city, where some 1.4 million Palestinians, including more than 600,000 children, are sheltering, despite warnings from the United Nations, United States, the European Union and international humanitarian organisations that an attack would be catastrophic.