Israel-Gaza war live: ceasefire talks to resume in Cairo; Israeli strikes in Rafah ‘not a major military operation’, says US official

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In the other developments over the last few hours, Hezbollah says it has carried out a drone attack on an Israeli military position near the northern Israeli town of Metula on Monday according to Reuters.

The Israeli military later confirmed two soldiers were killed in the attack.

Hezbollah also says it has sent dozens of rockets towards military targets across the border with Israel.

Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in daily cross-border strikes over the past six months, in parallel with Israel’s war in Gaza.

Hezbollah has so far restricted its attacks to a strip of northern Israel, seeking to draw Israeli forces away from Gaza, explains Reuters.

It’s 8:05am in Gaza and Tel Aviv, welcome back to our live blog on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis, where we’ll be keeping you up to late on the latest developments.

Qatar is set to send a delegation to Cairo Tuesday morning to resume indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel on a possible ceasefire deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the proposal from Hamas “is far from Israel’s essential demands”, but the government would send negotiators for talks “to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement”.

It’s as Israel carried out strikes on Rafah, with an Agence France-Presse correspondent in the city reporting heavy bombardment throughout the night. The Kuwaiti hospital there said in an updated toll on Tuesday that 11 people had been killed and dozens of others injured in the strikes.

After talks earlier in the day failed to produce an agreement, Hamas said Monday evening that it had informed mediators Egypt and Qatar of its “approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire” in the seven-month-old war, prompting cheering crowds to take to the streets of Rafah.

Close Israeli ally the United States said it was “reviewing” the Hamas response, reports Agence France-Presse.

Summary so far

It’s currently 5:15am in Gaza and Tel Aviv and we are pausing this blog for now. You can still see all of our coverage on the Israel-Gaza war and the wider Middle East crisis.

But first, here’s a summary of what we know so far compiled by our Guardian staff:

Israel carried out airstrikes in eastern Rafah after issuing orders for the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from part of the city earlier on Monday, triggering an exodus of thousands of people. The Israeli military said late on Monday it was conducting targeted strikes against Hamas in Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinian civilians are sheltering.

There were reports of Israeli tanks being seen on the eastern outskirts of Rafah and a Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official said they had reached as close as 200 metres from Rafah’s crossing with neighbouring Egypt. The Axios news site cited unnamed sources as saying Israeli forces planned to take over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, the sole gateway between Egypt and Gaza for humanitarian supplies and people. The Guardian could not independently verify that report.

Palestinian hospital officials said one strike on a house in Rafah late Monday killed five Palestinians, including a woman and a girl. Twenty-two people including two babies and other children were killed in earlier strikes on Monday.

The strikes came as Hamas said it had agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators. Hamas said in a brief statement that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, had informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that the group accepted their proposal for a ceasefire, prompting initial celebrations from Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

However, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the truce proposal fell short of Israel’s demands and that his war cabinet had approved continuing an operation in Rafah. Netanyahu’s office said Israel would still send a delegation to meet with negotiators to try to reach an agreement. Qatar’s foreign ministry said its delegation would head to Cairo on Tuesday.

One Israeli official said it was unclear exactly which proposal Hamas was accepting, as some of the terms appeared to differ substantially from those shown by mediators to Israel and agreed by the Israeli government last week. “[We] don’t recognise some,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

Hundreds of Israelis converged on the main military headquarters in Tel Aviv calling for a deal. Smaller gatherings were reported in Jerusalem and other cities across Israel. “Hamas’s announcement must pave the way for the return of the 132 hostages held captive by Hamas for the past seven months. Now is the time for all that are involved to fulfil their commitment and turn this opportunity into a deal for the return of all the hostages,” a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.

US president Joe Biden urged Netanyahu not to launch an offensive in Rafah, the White House said. The leaders’ call occurred before Hamas announced it had accepted a ceasefire proposal. Biden told Netanyahu he still believes reaching a ceasefire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, officials said.

Biden also hosted King Abdullah II of Jordan for a private lunch meeting at the White House on Monday to discuss the war and hostage talks. Jordan’s embassy in Washington said in a posting on the social media site X following the leaders’ meeting that Abdullah warned that an Israeli operation on Rafah “threatens to lead to a new massacre.”

For more, see our full write-up on what we know so far on the latest developments:

The US military has posted on X in the last couple of hours that its forces destroyed an “uncrewed aerial system (UAS)” or a drone, launched by Houthi group in Yemen over the Red Sea.

The Houthis have been launching attacks on shipping in the Red Sea saying they are attacking Israeli-linked shipping in solidarity with Palestinians, however their attacks have also targeted vessels with no links to the country.

Thousands of Israelis have rallied around the country on Monday night, calling for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to the terms of a ceasefire deal that Hamas accepted earlier in the day.

Around 1,000 protesters gathered near the defence headquarters in Tel Aviv, while in Jerusalem, at least 100 protesters marched toward Netanyahu’s residence with a banner reading, “The blood is on your hands.”

In Tel Aviv, Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan Zangauker is still held in Gaza, told a gathered crowd that it was “time to accept the deal”.

Brandishing a megaphone, Zangauker stood on the roof of a car and spoke in front of a large crowd of protesters.

“We’re not going to let you continue to abandon the children,” she said.

In a post on X, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the government was not serious about freeing the hostages.

“A government that wants to return the abductees should be convening an urgent discussion and sending [negotiating] teams to Cairo, not hysterically issuing three different briefings from different parties and crushing the hearts of the families. A national disgrace. There is no limit,” he wrote.

As the war in Gaza goes on, we’re hearing that the United Nations General Assembly could vote on Friday on a draft resolution that would recognise the Palestinians as qualified to become a full UN member.

It would also recommend that the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”, reports Reuters news agency.

Reuters says that it would effectively act as a global survey of how much support the Palestinians have for their bid. An earlier attempt was vetoed in the UN Security Council last month by the United States.

An application to become a full UN member needs to be approved by the 15-member Security Council and then the General Assembly.

Meanwhile protests continue in the US over the Israel-Gaza war.

We’re hearing that pro-Palestinian protesters that had been blocked by police from accessing an encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Monday have broken through fencing, linked arms and encircled tents that remained there.

Associated Press reports that protesters also sat in the middle of Massachusetts Avenue, blocking the street during rush hour in the Boston area.

It comes as Columbia University has canceled its university-wide commencement ceremony following weeks of pro-Palestinian protests.

Here is some of a thread from a statement posted on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s X page a few hours ago.

On the truce Netanyahu says “While the Hamas proposal is far from meeting Israel’s core demands, Israel will dispatch a ranking delegation to Egypt in an effort to maximize the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel.”

But the Israeli prime minister also vowed to continue action in Rafah.

Israel has ordered an evacuation of some 100,000 Palestinians from eastern neighborhoods of Rafah. Approximately more than 1 million civilians from other parts of Gaza have been sheltering from the war in the area.

In the statement on X Netanyahu said “The War Cabinet unanimously decided this evening Israel will continue its operation in Rafah, in order to apply military pressure on Hamas so as to advance the release of our hostages and achieve the other objectives of the war.”

The latest information made public about a ceasefire proposal centres around a three-stage deal, that’s according to the Hamas deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, who spoke to Al Jazeera TV.

The Reuters news agency has more on the latest proposed deal. The Guardian has not been able to verify the information and what’s on the table remains unclear.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, has told Reuters that the proposal that Hamas has approved is a watered-down version of an Egyptian offer and includes elements that Israel can not accept.

Having said that – here is what we know:

Phase one:

Reuters reports this would last for 42-days as a ceasefire period. Hamas would release 33 Israeli hostages in return for Israel releasing Palestinians from Israeli jails.

Israel would partially withdraw its troops from Gaza and allow free movement of Palestinians from south to north Gaza.

Phase two:

Another 42-day period would commence that features an agreement to restore a “sustainable calm” to Gaza, language that an official briefed on the talks said Hamas and Israel had agreed in order to take discussion of a “permanent ceasefire” off the table.

There would be the complete withdrawal of most Israeli troops from Gaza.

Hamas releases Israeli reservists and some soldiers in return for Israel releasing Palestinians from jail.

Phase three:

The completion of exchanging bodies and starting the implementation of reconstruction according to the plan overseen by Qatar, Egypt and the United Nations.

Ending the complete blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Here are some of the latest images of people escaping Rafah after being told to evacuate by the Israeli military:

US president Joe Biden has spoken to the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him against launching an offensive in Rafah.

The White House said Biden had a call with Netanyahu on Monday underscoring US concerns about an invasion of Rafah, where more than 1 million civilians from other parts of Gaza are sheltering.

The leaders’ call occurred before Hamas announced it had accepted a cease-fire proposal.

Biden told Netanyahu he still believes reaching a cease-fire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, officials said.

White House officials also said on Monday they were privately concerned about the latest strikes on Rafah — though they did not appear to be the widescale attack Netanyahu has been threatening, according to a person familiar with administration thinking who was not authorised to comment publicly, reports Associated Press.

Tanks approach outskirts of Rafah, says Egyptian official

A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official say Israeli tanks have approached Rafah, and reached as close as 200 metres (yards) from the crossing with neighbouring Egypt, reports Associated Press.

The Egyptian official, located across the border from Rafah, and the Palestinian security official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the press.

Qatari mediators heading to Cairo

A Qatari delegation will head to Cairo on Tuesday to resume indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas through the mediators, Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, said in a statement.

He said that Hamas sent its response to a truce proposal to mediators on Monday, which could be described as positive, reports Reuters.

Qatar, which alongside Egypt and the United States has played a mediation role in the talks, said it hoped the negotiations would culminate in an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas on Monday it agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators, but Israel said the terms did not meet its demands and pressed ahead with strikes in Rafah while planning to continue negotiations.

Reged Ahmad here picking up our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war from Kari Paul.

The UN secretary general has posted on X in the last couple of hours ago calling on the Israeli government and Hamas leadership “come to an agreement & stop the suffering”.

“I’m deeply concerned by indications that a large-scale military operation in Rafah may be imminent,” he says.

US official: Rafah strikes do not 'represent a major military operation'

A US official said the US is “concerned” about Israel’s latest strikes on Rafah, but “does not believe they represent a major military operation,” according to a report from Reuters.

US officials are focused on prevent major military operations targeting “densely populated” areas of Rafah, the source added, and that it “does not appear the Israelis are doing that”.

The Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said on X that Israel is jeapordizing a ceasefire deal by continuing to bomb Rafah.

The statement comes after Abdullah II, the king of Jordan, warned during a meeting with Joe Biden on Monday that an Israeli attack on Rafah threatens to lead to a “new massacre” and that the international community “must take urgent action”.

The United Nations security council has announced its “intention” to hold closed consultations regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to Arab media outlet Al Mayadeen English.

In March the council demanded a “lasting, sustainable ceasefire” and the release of all hostages.

Photos have emerged from some protests taking place outside the main military headquarters in Tel Aviv, calling for a ceasefire deal that would allow for the release of Israeli hostages. Smaller gatherings were reported in Jerusalem and other cities across Israel.

Saudi Arabia condemns targeting of Rafah

As Israel targets the city of Rafah, where many refugees are sheltering, the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia has called on the international community to “intervene immediately to stop the genocide carried out by the occupation forces”.

“The Israeli occupation forces targeting the city of Rafah as part of its systematic, bloody campaign to storm all areas of the Gaza Strip and displace its residents towards the unknown,” the statement said, according to Haaretz.