Updated 07.06 | Published 06.40
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full screen Destruction after an Israeli airstrike on Rafah in southern Gaza last week. Photo: Mohammad Jahjouh/AP/TT
Israel has begun evacuating civilians from Rafah in southern Gaza, Israeli media reports, including Haaretz.
An evacuation could indicate that a ground invasion of Rafah, where Israel claims members of terror-labelled Hamas are hiding, is imminent.
The action comes after days of tense anticipation of a ceasefire deal – which has yet to materialise. On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted that operations in Rafah would be carried out shortly.
– We see worrying signals that Hamas actually has no intention of following any agreements with us. This means that operations in Rafah, and the entire Gaza Strip, are imminent, he said, according to Haaretz.
According to Haaretz newspaper, international and Palestinian aid organizations have been informed of the evacuation.
Hamas has been in Cairo over the weekend to, together with the mediators Egypt and Qatar, as well as the United States, agree on details of the proposals for a cease-fire settlement that are on the table.
The Hamas delegation is said to have then gone on to Qatar for further deliberations. There are reports that the delegation will return to Cairo on Tuesday.
Israel did not participate in the talks that took place over the weekend.