Israeli soldiers raised their flags as they seized control of the vital Rafah border crossing early Tuesday, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the latest Hamas proposal for a ceasefire as an attempt to “sabotage” their operation.
The Israeli military moved into the southern Gaza city — a key crossing to Egypt — and quickly claimed “operational control” of the border point in its push to fully expel Hamas, officials said.
A pair of soldiers in camouflage raised the Flag of Zion on a small pole on the abandoned-looking main road, video shared by the IDF showed.
Another clip showed an IDF tank crushing signs that read “I (Heart) Gaza.”
The Rafah operation was “very precise and limited in space,” Israel claimed – with the goal of eliminating Hamas infrastructure after the terror group launched a deadly rocket attack at the Israel-Gaza border crossing Sunday.
The long-awaited push into Rafah overnight came just hours after Hamas claimed it accepted a ceasefire proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar.
The supposed deal, however, was quickly dismissed by Israel, with officials insisting it was not approved by the Jewish State — and that it was a “deception” by the terrorist organization.
Netanyahu said Tuesday that the deal was “very far from Israel’s vital demands” and “meant to sabotage the entry of our forces into Rafah.”
“That did not happen,” the prime minister said in a video statement.
“We already proved in the previous hostage release — military pressure on Hamas is a precondition for the return of the hostages.”
An Israeli delegation met in Cairo Tuesday to continue hostage deal negotiations. Israel previously put forth a three-phase deal that would require the release in the first 42-day phase of 33 living hostages — women, children, elderly or sick, the Times of Israel reported. Hamas, however, has said it would release 33 hostages, dead or alive.
The terror group demanded changes to other parts of the proposal, including allowing for Gazans to move freely to the north of the Strip without security checks and upping the number of security prisoners that would be freed.
Netanyahu told the negotiating team to “stand firmly” on Israel’s conditions and said gaining control of the Rafah border crossing a “very important step” toward completely wiping out Hamas, according to the Times of Israel.A senior Hamas official said on Tuesday the amended proposal was Israel’s “last chance” to free hostages.
“This will be the last chance for Netanyahu and the families of the Zionist prisoners to return their children,” the official said.
The military operation in the key crossing has created global concern over the 1.3 million Palestinians sheltering in the area, where they were previously told to flee when Israel launched its initial incursion on northern Gaza.
On Monday, President Biden again warned Netanyahu against launching an invasion of Rafah following the leader’s order for 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate from eastern parts of the area.
The Israeli military ultimately carried out a series of strikes across Rafah overnight, killing at least 23 people – including six women and five children, according to the Associated Press, citing hospital records.
“We did nothing. … We don’t have Hamas,” said Mohamed Abu Amra, who said his wife, two brothers, sister and niece were all killed while they slept.
“We found fire devouring us. The house was turned upside down.”
The Rafah crossing and the Kerem Shalom border between Israel and Gaza – both of which are key entry points for aid into the Strip – were closed for two days leading up to the incursion.
Though smaller entry points are still open, the closures are serious blows to the flow of food, medicine, and other supplies to Gaza’s beleaguered civilians – who officials say are already experiencing a “full-blown famine.”
“[The closures] will plunge this crisis into unprecedented levels of need, including the very real possibility of a famine,” said Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for OCHA, the United Nations’ humanitarian affairs office.
Israeli authorities have denied OCHA access to the Rafah crossing, Laerke confirmed.
The IDF, Larke added, “is ignoring all warnings about what this could mean for civilians and for the humanitarian operation across the Gaza Strip.”
Several hours after the initial incursion, a spokesperson for Hamas claimed that a 70-year-old Israeli hostage was killed by Israeli shelling – though he provided no other details nor any evidence.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry slammed the seizure of the border crossing, calling it a “dangerous escalation” in the months-long war.
Egypt has previously cautioned that any Israeli military incursion in Rafah – which is supposed to be part of a demilitarized border zone – or an attack that forces Palestinians to flee into Egypt would threaten the 1979 peace treaty that’s been a key part of regional security.
With Post wires
