US pressures Israel to accept ceasefire deal

The US has piled pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu to agree a ceasefire deal with Hamas, arguing the two sides should be able to “close the remaining gaps” in negotiations “very soon”.

John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, on Tuesday urged negotiators to come to an agreement after Israel launched a “limited” assault on Rafah, in the south of Gaza.

Israel rejected a deal proposed by Hamas on Monday, dashing Palestinian hopes of a ceasefire in exchange for the release of remaining hostages captured on Oct 7.

It said the terms of the deal, under which three hostages would be released each week while the ceasefire was in place, was “unacceptable” and a “ruse” to make Israel appear unwilling to negotiate in good faith.

Despite the operation, Mr Kirby suggested a deal was still likely, telling reporters: “Our understanding of the text would suggest that they should be able to close these gaps and we hope very, very soon.”

Hamas’ leadership has indicated that ending the war permanently is their own red line.

Mr Netanyahu faced fresh criticism for his offensive in Rafah on Tuesday as aid groups and allies warned the supply of humanitarian assistance to Gaza was in peril.

The Israeli prime minister said the offensive was a “very important step” toward destroying Hamas’s remaining military capabilities and would destroy smuggling tunnels over the border into Egypt.

In an overnight operation, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tanks entered the Gaza Strip to seize the Rafah crossing, which has been used to deliver supplies of aid.

In a video message, Mr Netanyahu said that Hamas’s surprise agreement to a ceasefire deal on Monday, which he said was “very far from Israel’s vital demands” and designed to “sabotage” the Rafah operation.

He assured allies the largely symbolic move was “limited” and did not mark the start of a long-promised full-scale ground invasion of Rafah, where more than 1.4 million civilians are sheltering from the war.

But the UN and other aid agencies said the IDF’s manoeuvres threatened supplies of aid into the territory.

Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA, said: “We currently do not have any physical presence at the Rafah crossing as our access… has been denied by Cogat.”

He said all fuel going into Gaza crosses via Rafah and that the enclave has only one day of fuel reserves.

The Who also confirmed that Israel is not allowing transfer of patients through Rafah.

The other crossing for supplies for Gaza has remained closed since Sunday when Hamas mortar fire targeted Israeli troops at a staging ground nearby, killing four of them.

Another mortar attack at the Kerem Shalom crossing was reported early on Tuesday.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, toured the area of eastern Rafah captured by Israel, vowing to press on with the planned invasion while leaving room for a deal.

“This operation will continue until we eliminate Hamas in the Rafah area and the entire Gaza Strip or until the first hostage returns,” he said.

“We are willing to make compromises in order to bring back hostages, but if that option is removed, we will go on and ‘deepen’ the operation.”

Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister of Germany, an Israeli ally, warned Mr Netanyahu against going any further.

“I strongly caution against conducting a major offensive on Rafah,” she said on X, formerly Twitter, adding that despite Israel’s assurances of efforts to evacuate the locals, the over one million people sheltering in Rafah “cannot vanish into thin air”.

The US, which opposes a “major” military operation in Rafah, said it had received assurances from Israel that the latest offensive was “limited” and only “designed to cut off Hamas’s ability to smuggle weapons and funds into Gaza”.

Joe Biden hinted at a rift between his administration and Mr Netanayahu as talks mediated by William Burns, the director of the CIA, continued in Cairo.

“My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad, even when we disagree,” he said at a Holocaust Remembrance ceremony in Washington.

“My administration is working around the clock to free the remaining hostages...we will not rest until we bring them all home”.

The White House has reportedly held up a shipment of Boeing-manufactured precision bombs bound for Israel to “send a message” about Mr Netanyahu’s strategy in Gaza, Politico reported.

However, Mr Netanyahu is facing criticism at home and abroad for his decision to dismiss the proposal, and for pressing ahead with the Rafah offensive.

An opinion poll commissioned by Israel’s Channel 13 showed on Tuesday that most Israelis believe that Mr Netanyahu cares more about “his own political survival” rather than the return of hostages.

The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday urged the US to “intervene immediately” to stop Israel from launching a full-scale ground invasion of Rafah.

Inside Gaza, Palestinians on Tuesday reacted anxiously to reports that Israeli tanks were operating on the border with Egypt.

Speaking to The Telegraph over the phone from the west of Rafah, Mohammad Najjar, a student, said that the night was “very difficult.”

He said Rafah is no wider than 15 kilometres (9 miles), so the IDF are “very close” to his location.

“Until this moment we can hear the bombing,” he said, following a night of artillery, drones and air strikes.