Israeli forces are "moving ahead" with a ground operation in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, despite international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe. The Israeli military is preparing to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of the imminent assault on Hamas hold-outs in Rafah.
The United States, meanwhile, has urged Israel to hold back from attacking the city, which is sheltering more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people.
Here are the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war:
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that Washington was still talking with Israel about Rafah and that officials from both countries expected to meet again in person soon.
Israel, which launched its war to annihilate Hamas after the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attacks, says Rafah is home to four Hamas combat battalions reinforced by thousands of retreating fighters, and it must defeat them to achieve victory.
Source: ANI