Israel PM orders troops to prepare for push into Rafah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered troops to prepare to enter the overcrowded Gazan city of Rafah, even as a new round of talks aimed at securing a truce with Hamas were set to open on Thursday in Cairo.

Netanyahu announced the order after rejecting Hamas's response to a ceasefire proposal at the centre of intense recent diplomatic efforts, though visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted on Wednesday that he still saw "space for agreement to be reached".

Concerns were mounting, meanwhile, for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have sought refuge in Rafah along the Egyptian border, with UN chief Antonio Guterres warning a military push into the city "would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare".

In televised remarks Wednesday, Netanyahu said he had ordered troops to "prepare to operate" in the city and that "total victory" over Hamas was just months away.

A child is treated for his injuries sustained in Israeli bombardment, at the Al-Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah. AFP

Regarding the ceasefire proposal, he added: "Giving in to the bizarre demands of Hamas that we have just heard will... only invite another massacre."

Blinken, who is on yet another trip to the region to press for a truce, told reporters in Tel Aviv that Hamas's counter-proposal at least offered an opportunity "to pursue negotiations".

"While there are some clear non-starters in Hamas's response, we do think it creates space for agreement to be reached, and we will work at that relentlessly until we get there," Blinken said, hours after meeting Netanyahu.

More talks

A new round of negotiations aimed at achieving "calm" in Gaza and a prisoner-hostage exchange was set to open Thursday in Cairo, an Egyptian official said.

Cairo was urging "both parties to show the necessary flexibility" to make a deal, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A Palestinian checks damage to a home in Hebron, West Bank, on Thursday. Reuters

A Hamas source with knowledge of the matter confirmed that the Palestinian group had agreed to the talks with the goals of "a ceasefire, an end to the war and a prisoner exchange deal".

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas in response and launched air strikes and a ground offensive that have killed at least 27,708 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The ministry said Thursday morning that another 109 people had been killed in overnight strikes.

Agence France-Presse