Israeli tanks enter Rafah – but no full invasion yet

Before the attack, the IDF said it had carried out “coordination with the international organisations operating in the area, with a request to move towards the humanitarian area, as part of the effort to evacuate the population that has been taking place.”

The news that tanks were in Rafah came after Israel rejected the Hamas deal. The New York Times reported that Hamas intended to include the remains of several dead hostages among the 33 captives it propsed freeing.

The terror group informed mediators that not all of those to be released were still alive. The first phase had been expected to include women, children, the elderly and ill and Israel had insisted that all the released hostages had to be alive.

Israel had already reduced its demand from 40 hostages, with the understanding that not all those in that category were still alive.