This photo provided by the Israel Defense Forces shows a tank with an Israeli flag entering the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday.
AP
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AP
This photo provided by the Israel Defense Forces shows a tank with an Israeli flag entering the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday.
AP
JERUSALEM – An Israeli tank brigade took control of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday, officials said, moving forward with an offensive on the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas They remain on the knife’s edge.
The move comes after hours of turmoil in the war between Israel and Hamas, with the militant group saying on Monday it accepted a ceasefire proposal brokered by Egypt and Qatar. Meanwhile, Israel insisted that the agreement did not meet its fundamental demands. The high-risk diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive, if barely, for a deal that could bring at least a pause to the seven-month war that has devastated the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing early Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said, taking “operational control” of the crucial crossing. It is the main route for aid entry into the besieged enclave and exit for those who may flee to Egypt. Israel has fully controlled all access in and out of Gaza since the war began.
Footage released by the Israeli military showed a tank entering the crossing. The details of the video matched the known characteristics of the crossing and showed Israeli flags flying from the tanks that took over the area.
The Israeli military claimed that it seized the crossing after receiving information that it was “being used for terrorist purposes.” The military did not immediately provide evidence to support the claim, although it alleged that the area around the crossing had been used to launch a mortar attack that killed four Israeli soldiers and wounded others near the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The military also said ground troops and airstrikes targeted suspected Hamas positions in Rafah.
Wael Abu Omar, spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority, acknowledged that Israeli forces had taken the crossing and closed the facility for the time being. He said attacks had targeted the area around the crossing since Monday.
A spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry declined to immediately comment on the Israeli seizure. Egypt has previously warned that any seizure of Rafah could cause Palestinians to flee across the border, a scenario that could threaten a 1979 peace deal with Israel that has been a linchpin for regional security.
The offensive again raised the risks of an all-out Israeli attack on Rafah, a move the United States strongly opposes and which aid groups have warned would be disastrous for some 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there.
Egyptian officials said the proposal called for a multi-stage ceasefire, starting with a limited release of hostages and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops inside Gaza. The two sides would also negotiate a “permanent calm” that would lead to a full release of the hostages and further Israeli withdrawal from the territory, they said.
Hamas sought clearer guarantees for its key demand to end the war and complete the Israeli withdrawal in exchange for the release of all hostages, but it was unclear whether any changes were made.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly rejected that compensation and have vowed to maintain their campaign until Hamas is destroyed after its Oct. 1 attack. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war.