Middle East crisis live: Hamas condemns Israeli order to evacuate Rafah as a ‘dangerous escalation’
Israel's military has called for people to evacuate eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah and head to what it claimed was an expanded humanitarian zone' in southern Gaza
An anonymous Israeli official with knowledge of the ceasefire negotiations has told the New York Times that the two sides were close to a deal a couple of days ago but that comments by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Rafah pushed Hamas to harden its demands in a bid to protect the city from an Israeli ground invasion.
On Tuesday Netanyahu vowed that Israel would proceed with an offensive on the southern city even if renewed efforts at internationally brokered talks with Hamas result in the release of hostages and a ceasefire.
The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there - with or without a deal, in order to achieve total victory.
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