Israel-Gaza war: Three soldiers killed in Kerem Shalom rocket attack

Three Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hamas rocket attack near one of the main crossing points used to deliver aid to Gaza, Israel said.

The Kerem Shalom crossing was closed overnight by Israel following the strike.

Subsequent Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza town of Rafah reportedly killed at least 12 people.

The Israeli military said Monday morning that it was urging Gazans who have taken refuge in parts of Rafah to evacuate.

It comes as talks aimed at securing a Gaza ceasefire deal and the release of hostages have stalled.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said 10 projectiles were fired from an area near the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza, about 3.6 km from Kerem Shalom.

Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility and said its target was a nearby Israeli military base.

They were fired from a site about 350 meters from a civilian shelter, the Israeli army said.

He called the launches “another clear example of the terrorist organization’s systematic exploitation of humanitarian facilities and spaces, and its continued use of Gaza’s civilian population as human shields.”

Hamas denies using civilians as human shields.

The Israeli military confirmed a counterattack in Rafah, saying it hit the launcher from which the projectiles were fired as well as a nearby military structure.

There were two Israeli strikes on Sunday, killing at least 12 people according to Gaza health officials.

The latest violence follows two days of talks with mediators in Cairo, Egypt.

There has been little progress, with Israel and Hamas saying they will not give in on key demands, but talks are expected to resume on Monday.

Hamas said its delegation would travel to Qatar to consult with the group’s leaders.

CIA chief William Burns, who also participated in the mediation efforts, left the Egyptian capital for negotiations in Doha, according to reports.

The truce proposal would involve a 40-day pause in fighting, allowing the release of hostages in Gaza and a number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Hamas has said it views the current proposal in a “positive light”, but the main sticking point appears to be whether the ceasefire agreement would be permanent or temporary.

The group insists that any agreement includes a specific commitment to ending the war, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected this on Sunday.

“The State of Israel cannot accept this (Hamas’ demands), we are not ready to accept a situation in which Hamas brigades come out of their bunkers, regain control of Gaza, rebuild their military infrastructure and are once again beginning to threaten the citizens of Gaza in the settlements surrounding the southern mountains, in all regions of the country.

“It will be a terrible defeat for the State of Israel,” he added.

The war began after waves of Hamas gunmen stormed across the Gaza-Israel border on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. The group is considered a terrorist organization by many Western countries.

During the ensuing Israeli military campaign in Gaza, more than 34,600 Palestinians were killed and more than 77,900 injured, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry.

Mr Netanyahu has faced pressure from within his far-right coalition to continue the long-promised offensive in Gaza’s southernmost town, Rafah, where around 1.4 million people have sought refuge after having fled the fighting in the north and center of the strip. .

The United States is reluctant to support a military operation that could cause significant civilian casualties and has insisted there must first be a plan to protect displaced Palestinians.

On Monday morning, the Israeli military said it was encouraging residents of eastern Rafah to move toward an “extended humanitarian zone.”

“The expanded humanitarian zone includes field hospitals, tents and increased quantities of food, water, medicine and other supplies.

“As per government approval, an assessment of the ongoing situation will guide the gradual movement of civilians in the specified areas east of Rafah, towards the humanitarian zone,” read a statement published on X, formerly Twitter.

Seven months after the start of its offensive against Hamas, Israel declared that victory was impossible without the capture of Rafah.

But with more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians sheltering there, Western powers and neighboring Egypt have raised fears of high civilian casualties.