Netanyahu approves Rafah attack plans as aid ship reaches Gaza

Israeli prime minister's decision may be intended to put pressure on Hamas as negotiations continue

• Middle East crisis - live updates

Benjamin Netanyahu has approved plans for an attack on Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, where more than 1 million people displaced from elsewhere in the territory have sought shelter, officials in Israel have said.

The decision was taken as a ship towing a barge loaded with food arrived off Gaza in a test run for a new aid route by sea from Cyprus into the devastated Palestinian territory, where famine looms after five months of Israel's military campaign.