Live Updates: Israel claims control of Gaza's Rafah crossing ahead of invasion

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

06:25 GMT — Israel claims control of Gaza's Rafah crossing ahead of invasion

The Israeli army has said it took "operational control" of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and that its troops were "scanning the area."

"Right now we have special forces scanning the crossing... We have operational control of the area and other crossings and we have special forces scanning the area," the military said.

"We are only talking about the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing."

06:20 GMT — Two Israeli soldiers killed in Hezbollah drone attack

The Israeli army has said two of its soldiers were killed in a drone attack on northern Israel by the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

The Israeli army said the drone attack targeting an Israeli army position near the Metula settlement took place on Monday afternoon.

The Israeli military statement said that it tried to intercept the drone, but failed leading to the killing of two soldiers and the injury of another.

06:15 GMT — HRW: Israel attack on Lebanon rescuers was 'unlawful'

Human Rights Watch has said an Israeli strike in Lebanon that killed seven first responders was "an unlawful attack on civilians", and urged Washington to suspend weapons sales to Israel.

"An Israeli strike on an emergency and relief centre" in the southern village of Habariyeh on March 27 "killed seven emergency and relief volunteers" and constituted an "unlawful attack on civilians that failed to take all necessary precautions", HRW said in a statement.

"If the attack on civilians was carried out intentionally or recklessly, it should be investigated as an apparent war crime," it added.

06:00 GMT — Gaza's Rafah crossing closed because of Israeli tanks, border authority says

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been closed on the Palestinian side because of the presence of Israeli tanks, the spokesperson of the Gaza border authority.

Three humanitarian sources said that the flow of aid through the crossing is halted.

05:55 GMT — US president, Jordan's king discuss Gaza

US President Joe Biden and Jordan’s King Abdullah II have discussed the latest situation in Gaza, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

"They discussed the strong partnership between the US and Jordan. They also spoke about the situation in Gaza, of course, including efforts to secure the hostage deal and to get more humanitarian assistance to the civilians of Gaza," Kirby told reporters.

He added that Biden hosted the king for lunch at the White House.

In a statement, the White House confirmed that Biden and King Abdullah discussed the latest developments in Gaza and affirmed their commitment to work together towards an enduring end to the crisis.

05:42 GMT — Israeli tanks enter southern Gaza city of Rafah — report

Israeli tanks have entered the southern besieged Gaza city of Rafah, reaching as close as 200 metres from its crossing with neighbouring Egypt, a Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official told AP news agency.

The Egyptian official said the "operation" appeared to be limited in scope. He and Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV said Israeli officials informed the Egyptians that their troops would withdraw after completing the "operation."

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

05:02 GMT — Israel kills at least 5 in Rafah strikes

Israel has killed at least five people after striking Rafah, a local hospital said, as Israel vowed to launch a vast ground invasion there.

The city's Kuwaiti hospital said it had received "five martyrs and several injured" after Israeli strikes.

The area is currently the site of intense Israeli military strike activity, according to witnesses and Palestinian security sources.

04:22 GMT — UN chief says ground invasion of Rafah would be 'intolerable'

A ground invasion of Rafah would be "intolerable," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said, calling on Israel and Hamas "to go an extra mile" to reach a ceasefire deal.

"This is an opportunity that cannot be missed, and a ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences, and because of its destabilising impact in the region," Guterres said as he received Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

03:43 GMT — Qatari delegation to resume talks in Cairo

A delegation from Qatar will head to the Egyptian capital Cairo to resume indirect talks between Hamas and Israel on a ceasefire in Gaza and hostage swap deal.

"The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] sent on Monday to the mediators a response to their proposals that they put forward to Israel and the movement regarding the truce," Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, the official spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said in a statement.

The ministry deemed Hamas's response as "positive."

03:20 GMT — Jordan says Israel's Netanyahu jeopardising ceasefire deal

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said that hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is jeopardizing a ceasefire agreement by bombing Rafah.

"Tremendous effort has been made to produce an exchange deal that'll release hostages & realise a ceasefire. Hamas has put out an offer. If Netanyahu genuinely wants a deal, he will negotiate the offer in earnest. Instead, he is jeopardising the deal by bombing Rafah," Safadi said on social media platform X.

Jordanian King Abdullah II, meanwhile asked US President Joe Biden that the Israeli attack on Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinians are internally displaced as a result of the war on Gaza, "threatens to lead to a new massacre."

02:30 GMT — Israel didn't negotiate with Hamas in 'good faith' — US official

Israel hasn't approached the latest phase of negotiations with Hamas in "good faith" to reach a ceasefire and still plans to invade Rafah, which the US is committed to stop, a US official familiar with truce negotiations told the Reuters news agency.

"[Benjamin] Netanyahu and the war cabinet have not appeared to approach the latest phase of negotiations [with Hamas] in good faith," the official told Reuters, asking not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Hawkish Netanyahu is also under pressure from extremist partners in his coalition who demand invasion on Rafah and could collapse his far-right government if he signs onto a deal. But he also faces pressure from the families of hostages to reach a deal for their release.

02:00 GMT — Israel to send delegation to mediators to discuss 'Hamas proposal'

Israel's far-right government has said it will send a delegation to mediators to discuss a Gaza truce proposal accepted by Hamas, which it called "far from Israel's demands".

"Even though the Hamas proposal is far from Israel's essential demands, Israel will send a working-level delegation to the mediators," Netanyahu's office said in a statement after a war cabinet meeting, in which the statement also said the war cabinet agreed to invade Rafah.

For our live updates from Monday, May 6, click here.