The Israeli military said it was conducting airstrikes in eastern Rafah, as the cabinet unanimously decided to continue attacks, completely ignoring international calls to stop its plans to invade the area, where around 1.5 million Palestinians, including at least 600,000 children, are seeking refuge after months of attacks.
The move came hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, which could end seven months of war in Gaza.
However, it's uncertain whether a deal has been sealed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that the proposal was "far from Israel's essential demands," but that it would nonetheless send negotiators to continue talks on a cease-fire agreement.
Earlier Monday, Israel's military said it ordered around 100,000 people to evacuate Rafah, signaling the ground invasion, which rights experts said could amount to war crimes, could be imminent.
The U.N. human rights chief slammed Israel's order to relocate Palestinian civilians from Rafah as being "inhumane," saying that it threatens to expose them to further danger and misery, as he warned that such acts can amount to a war crime.
U.S. President Joe Biden "reiterated his clear position" to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday after Israel defied U.S. warnings and told Palestinians to evacuate part of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the White House said.
The United States says it opposes a Rafah invasion unless Israel provides a "credible" plan for protecting civilians there.
More than a million people in Rafah are huddled in tents and overcrowded apartments after fleeing Israel's attacks in other parts of the territory, which have driven around 80% of the territory's population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused vast destruction throughout several cities. The death toll in Gaza due to Israel's attacks has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.
