IDF take out 20 Hamas gunmen after tanks roll into Rafah & take control of crossing as ceasefire deal hangs by a thread

ISRAELI tanks have rolled into Rafah as it kicked off a ground offensive overnight after 11th hour ceasefire negotiations 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.

The IDF have claimed control of the Rafah crossing from the Israeli side

Officials say tanks and soldiers entered eastern Rafah early this morning

Alamy

Twenty Hamas militants have been killed, Israel say[/caption]

This morning, Israeli and Palestinian officials said tanks and soldiers had 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.

It said they killed 20 Hamas militants and located three “significant” tunnel shafts.

An Israeli army official said the vast majority of people located in the evacuation zone have left.

Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority, said the 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.

Hours before Israel approved the ground offensive, Hamas announced it had accepted a cease-fire proposal brought forward by mediators Egypt and Qatar.

A cease-fire could have ended seven months of gruelling war in Gaza, but Israel responded by saying the proposal 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.

Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold, but the United States opposes a full-scale invasion of the city bordering Egypt unless Israel provides a credible plan for protecting civilians there.

The war in Gaza has driven around 80 per cent of the territory’s population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused vast destruction to apartments, hospitals, mosques and schools across several cities.

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.

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