Israeli Tanks Enter Rafah and Take Control of Border Crossing

 

Live Updates: Israeli Tanks Enter Rafah and Take Control of Border Crossing

Before the overnight assault in Gaza, Israel warned 110,000 people to evacuate and launched airstrikes against what it called Hamas targets. A military official said the scope of the operation was limited.

 

Isabel Kershner

Andrés R. Martínez

Updated

May 7, 2024, 3:50 a.m. ET51 minutes ago

51 minutes ago

Isabel Kershner and Andrés R. Martínez

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/07/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas-rafah

 

Here are the latest developments.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it had sent tanks into Rafah and established control over the Gaza side of the border crossing with Egypt, in what it called a limited operation aimed at destroying Hamas targets it says were used to attack Israeli soldiers.

 

The incursion did not appear to be the long-promised ground invasion of Rafah, which Israel’s allies have been working to avert by pushing for a cease-fire deal. It came after a dizzying day that saw Israel order people to evacuate parts of the city, then Hamas claims that it had accepted the terms of a cease-fire, followed by an announcement by Israel’s military that it was carrying out “targeted strikes” in eastern Rafah.

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing pressure to agree to a cease-fire with Hamas that is backed by the United States and Arab nations and that would secure the release of hostages still being held in Gaza. His government said that it would send negotiators to Cairo on Tuesday.

 

The Israeli military called Tuesday’s incursion “a very precise” counterterrorism operation and declined to say how long it planned to stay in Rafah. Troops found three tunnel shafts in the area near the crossing, and about 20 militants were killed during the operation, it said in a statement. Israel has long viewed Gaza’s border with Egypt as a main route for smuggling arms into the coastal enclave.

 

The incursion on Tuesday and airstrikes the day before mark an increase in the fighting after Israel withdrew most of its forces from Gaza Strip in April. Israel’s campaign has forced almost all of Gaza’s population to flee their homes. Many have gone to Rafah, where large numbers of people have been living in squalid tent camps.

 

Here’s what else to know:

On Monday evening, António Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, said again that “a ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences and because of its destabilizing impact in the region.”

 

On Monday, Israel told more than 100,000 Gazans in eastern Rafah to flee ahead of airstrikes. An invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Gazans have fled during the war, has been a point of tension for Mr. Netanyahu and his closest international allies. The United States has warned him not to launch an invasion without a credible plan to protect Rafah’s population.

 

Ground and air forces were also operating overnight in a neighborhood of eastern Rafah near the border crossing, the military said. It did not specify the location of the tunnel shafts or where the fighters had been killed.

 

Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.