An Israeli Defense Forces tank drives away from the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, May 6, 2024.
Israel’s war cabinet decides unanimously to push ahead with an operation in Rafah “in order to apply military pressure on Hamas, with the goal of making progress on freeing the hostages and the other war aims,” the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.
The statement says Hamas’s latest truce offer is “far from Israel’s obligatory demands.”
At the same time, Israel is also sending teams to hold talks with mediators in an attempt to find a deal that meets Israel’s demands, says the PMO.
Palestinian media report Israeli strikes and flares over eastern Rafah area.
Palestinian media report a series of Israeli strikes and flares launched over the eastern Rafah area, where the IDF issued an evacuation order earlier today.
It is not immediately clear if this is the start of ground operations in the area.
Earlier this evening, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military was readying for ground operations in eastern Rafah following the evacuation order.
