The Latest | Israel launches strikes in Rafah, hours after Hamas agrees to a Gaza cease-fire

Israel's military says it is launching “targeted strikes” against Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah after the country's War Cabinet approved a military operation there, officials said late Monday.

Hours earlier, the Hamas militant group announced it had accepted a cease-fire proposal brought forward by mediators Egypt and Qatar. A cease-fire could end seven months of war in Gaza — however it’s uncertain whether a deal will be sealed, as Israel responded by saying the proposal did not meet its “core demands.”

More than a million people are huddled in tents and overcrowded apartments in Rafah after fleeing Israel’s military offensive in other parts of the Gaza Strip. Israel says Rafah is Hamas' last stronghold, but the United States opposes a full-scale invasion of the city bordering Egypt unless Israel provides a “credible” plan for protecting civilians there.

The war in Gaza has driven around 80% of the territory's population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused vast destruction to apartments, hospitals, mosques and schools across several cities. The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.

The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250 others. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Currently:

— The U.N. says there’s ‘full-blown famine’ in northern Gaza. What does that mean?

— Hamas accepts cease-fire proposal for Gaza, after Israel orders Rafah evacuation ahead of attack.

— Biden speaks with Netanyahu as Israelis appear closer to major Rafah offensive

— Israel orders Al Jazeera to close its local operation and seizes some of its equipment.

— Netanyahu uses Holocaust ceremony to brush off international pressure against Gaza offensive.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here's the latest:

ISRAELI TANKS ENTER RAFAH AND PUSH CLOSE TO BORDER CROSSING, PALESTINIAN AND EGYPTIAN OFFICIALS SAY

CAIRO — A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official say Israeli tanks entered the southern Gaza town of Rafah, reaching as close as 200 meters (yards) from its crossing with neighboring Egypt.

The Egyptian official said the operation appeared to be limited in scope. He and Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV said Israeli officials informed the Egyptians that the troops would withdraw after completing the operation.

The Israeli military declined to comment. On Sunday, Hamas fighters near the Rafah crossing fired mortars into southern Israel, killing four Israeli soldiers.

The Egyptian official, located on the Egyptian side of Rafah, and the Palestinian security official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

The Associated Press could not independently verify the scope of the operation.

Earlier Monday, Israel’s War Cabinet decided to push ahead with a military operation in Rafah, after Hamas announced its acceptance of an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a cease-fire deal. The Israeli military said it was conducting “targeted strikes” against Hamas in Rafah without providing details.

The Rafah border crossing is a critical entry point for humanitarian aid into Gaza.

___

Associated Press writer Lee Keath contributed to this report.

U.S. VOICES CONCERNS TO ISRAELIS ABOUT A MAJOR OPERATION IN RAFAH, OFFICIAL SAYS

WASHINGTON — Biden administration officials on Monday continued to express concerns to the Israelis that a major military operation into Rafah’s densely populated areas could be catastrophic.

White House officials on Monday also were privately concerned about the latest strikes on Rafah — although the strikes did not appear to be the widescale attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening., according to a person familiar with Biden administration thinking who was not authorized to comment publicly.

___

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.

HAMAS PUBLISHES FULL TEXT OF CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL

BEIRUT — Hamas has published a copy of the cease-fire and hostage release proposal that the militant group said it had agreed to on Monday.

The framework brought forward by Qatar and Egypt aims to bring a halt to seven months of war in Gaza. However, it's unclear if Israel will agree to the terms.

The proposal outlines a phased release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza alongside the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the entire enclave and ending with a “sustainable calm” or “permanent cessation of military and hostile operations.”

Israel has previously said it would not agree to either a full withdrawal of its forces or a permanent cease-fire as part of a hostage release deal.

The first stage would last 42 days and would involve a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the release of about 33 hostages held in the territory, including the remaining Israeli women — both civilians and soldiers — as well as children, older adults and people who are ill.

Thirty Palestinian prisoners held in Israel would be released in exchange for each Israeli civilian hostage and 50 in exchange for each female soldier.

Palestinians displaced in Gaza would be allowed to return to their home neighborhoods during that time.

The parties would then negotiate the terms of the next stage, under which the remaining civilian men and soldiers would be released, while Israeli forces would withdraw from the rest of Gaza. This phase would be conditioned on achievement of a “sustainable calm.”

The final stage would involve exchange of the bodies of hostages who died in captivity and the beginning of a reconstruction plan for the enclave that would take place over three to five years “under the supervision of a number of countries and organizations, including: Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.”

THOUSANDS PROTEST IN ISRAEL CALLING FOR A DEAL TO RELEASE HOSTAGES

TEL AVIV, Israel — Thousands of Israelis rallied around the country Monday night calling for an immediate deal to release the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.

The protests came as Israel’s War Cabinet voted to begin an operation on the city of Rafah, saying that a cease-fire proposal Hamas accepted earlier in the night was not in line with Israeli demands.

In Tel Aviv, about 1,000 protesters swelled near Israel’s military headquarters, some blocking the city’s main highway until late into the night. Police tried to clear the road, lifting some protesters off the street and extinguishing fires lit during the demonstration. Other officers on horseback surrounded crowds who chanted “deal now!”

In Jerusalem, hundreds of protesters called for a hostage deal. They marched toward the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, holding a banner reading “the blood is on your hands.”

There were also smaller protests in the cities of Haifa, Beersheba and Raanana.

Israeli police did not immediately respond to a request about the number of people arrested.

In front of Netanyahu’s house stood Mai Albini Peri, the grandson of Haim Peri, a hostage in Gaza. He held a sign that read, “Rafah, not at the expense of my grandfather.”

ISRAELI LEADERS APPROVE A MILITARY OPERATION INTO RAFAH

JERUSALEM — Israeli leaders have approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, and Israeli forces are now striking targets in the area, officials announced Monday.

The move came hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the proposal was “far from Israel’s essential demands,” but that it would nonetheless send negotiators to Egypt to continue talks on a cease-fire agreement. Late Monday, Qatar announced it was sending a team to Egypt as well.

The United States says it opposes a Rafah invasion unless Israel provides a “credible” plan for protecting civilians there. More than a million people in Rafah are huddled in tents and overcrowded apartments after fleeing Israel’s military offensive in other parts of the territory.

Earlier Monday, Israel’s military said it ordered around 100,000 people to evacuate Rafah, signaling the long-promised ground invasion could be imminent. Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold.

ISRAEL SAYS IT WILL KEEP UP MILITARY OPERATIONS IN GAZA AS OFFICIALS CONSIDER HAMAS CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL

JERUSALEM — Israel will keep carrying out operations in Gaza as officials deliberate over a cease-fire proposal approved by Hamas, an Israeli military spokesperson says.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari spoke after the Hamas militant group said it accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal to halt the seven-month war with Israel. Israeli officials were studying the proposal late Monday and did not immediately comment.

“We examine every answer and reply very seriously,” said Hagari. “At the same time, we continue our operations in the Gaza Strip and will continue to do so.”

During the same address, Hagari said that Israel would reopen a major crossing for humanitarian aid to pass into Gaza as soon as possible, without specifying exactly when.

Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing Sunday after a Hamas mortar attack in the area killed four Israeli soldiers.

The White House said earlier Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to reopen the crossing on a phone call with President Joe Biden.

U.S. AND ALLIES ARE STILL STUDYING HAMAS CEASE-FIRE RESPONSE, AND BIDEN HAS BEEN BRIEFED

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has been briefed on Hamas’ response in ongoing cease-fire talks, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, adding only that the U.S. and its partners were still reviewing that response.

CIA Director Bill Burns was actively engaged with partners in the region to evaluate the Hamas statement and next steps, Kirby said.

Hamas announced Monday it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, but Israel said it was studying the offer, leaving it uncertain whether a deal had been sealed to bring a halt to the seven-month-long war in Gaza.

TURKISH PRESIDENT WELCOMES HAMAS ACCEPTING A CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed a statement by the Hamas militant group that it has accepted a cease-fire proposal, and he called on Israel to also accept the deal.

Speaking at the end of Cabinet meeting Monday, Erdogan also urged Western nations to exert pressure on Israeli to accept the deal. He suggested that Turkey had urged Hamas to accept the proposal.

“We were happy by the statement from Hamas that it accepted the cease-fire with our recommendations. The same step must now be also taken by Israel. I call on all Western actors to exert pressure on Israel,” Erdogan said.

Turkey, a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, suspended trade relations with Israel last week. It said the commercial ties won’t be restored until a permanent cease-fire is installed and obstructions to the flow of aid into Gaza are removed.

ISRAELI OFFICIAL WARNS THAT HAMAS CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL DOES NOT MEET ISRAELI FRAMEWORK

JERUSALEM -- An official familiar with Israeli thinking says Israeli officials are examining the cease-fire proposal approved by Hamas.

But the official warns that the plan approved by Hamas “is not the framework Israel proposed.”

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because Israel is still formulating a formal response, did not elaborate.

The language signaled that a deal could still be a ways off.

___

Associated Press writer Josef Federman contributed to this report.

U.S. WAITS TO SEE IF CEASE-FIRE ACCEPTED BY HAMAS REFLECTS WHAT ISRAEL AND MEDIATORS ALREADY AGREED TO

WASHINGTON — A U.S. official said that Washington was still waiting to learn more about the Hamas position and whether it reflected an agreement to what had already been signed off on by Israel and international negotiators or to something else.

Details of the proposal haven't been released. The official was speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the matter.

Hamas announced Monday it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, but there was no immediate word from Israel, leaving it uncertain whether a deal had been sealed to bring a halt to the seven-month-long war in Gaza.

___

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.

HAMAS SAYS IT HAS ACCEPTED A CEASE-FIRE DEAL

The Hamas militant group says it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal to halt the seven-month war with Israel.

It issued a statement Monday saying its supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister. The two Middle Eastern nations have been mediating months of talks between Israel and Hamas. There was no immediate comment from Israel.

The announcement came hours after Israel ordered Palestinians to begin evacuating the southern Gaza town of Rafah ahead of an Israeli military operation. Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold.

News of Hamas’ announcement sent people in Rafah cheering in the streets. People rushed into the streets in front of Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, chanting and cheering the news.

Details of the proposal were not immediately released. But in recent days, Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the cease-fire would take place in a series of stages in which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza.

It is not clear whether the deal will meet Hamas’ key demand of bringing about an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal.

U.N. RIGHTS CHIEF SAYS ISRAEL'S EVACUATION ORDERS IN RAFAH ARE ‘INHUMANE’

GENEVA — The U.N. human rights chief says it’s “inhumane” that people in Gaza are being told to move again as Israel plans an invasion into the southern city of Rafah.

Volker Türk warned that civilian suffering, death and destruction appear set to swell further, insisting that protection of civilians is the “overriding concern” of international humanitarian and human rights law — and those who “flout” it must be held to account.

“Forcibly relocating hundreds of thousands from Rafah to areas which have already been flattened and where there is little shelter and virtually no access to humanitarian assistance necessary for their survival is inconceivable,” he said in a statement.

Türk noted that Rafah has become the main hub for distribution of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. He reiterated calls for a cease-fire, the free flow of aid into Gaza, and the release of Israeli hostages held in the territory.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza have been ordered to evacuate their homes and shelters since Israeli forces launched a military action in the strip following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel

ISRAEL'S BLOCKAGE OF AL JAZEERA NEWS WEBSITE TAKES EFFECT

JERUSALEM -- Israel’s blockage of Al Jazeera’s news website appeared to take effect Monday, a day after Israel shut the local offices of the Qatari network and halted its broadcasts in Israel.

The network’s website was no longer accessible on local Wi-Fi networks in Israel as of Monday afternoon, although it could still be viewed using virtual private networks, or VPNs. Access to the network’s YouTube livestream and social media feeds appeared undisturbed. Al Jazeera went off Israel’s main cable and satellite providers Sunday.

Believed to be the first time Israel has closed a foreign news outlet operating in the country, the shuttering of Al-Jazeera’s operation marks the culmination of a long-running feud that has only been exacerbated by the network’s coverage of the current Israel-Hamas war.

Since Hamas militants’ initial cross-border attack Oct. 7, the network has maintained 24-hour coverage of Israel’s grinding ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. While including on-the-ground reporting of the war’s casualties, including the deaths of members of its own staff, its Arabic arm often publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and other regional militant groups.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that it had become necessary to remove the network, calling it a “Hamas mouthpiece.”

The Foreign Press Association in Israel criticized the order.

“With this decision, Israel joins a dubious club of authoritarian governments to ban the station,” it said. “This is a dark day for the media.” The New York-based Committee to Project Journalists similarly warned the move represented an “extremely alarming precedent for restricting international media outlets working in Israel.”

600,000 KIDS IN RAFAH ARE AT ‘CATASTROPHIC’ RISK FROM ISRAELI INVASION, U.N. CHILDREN’S AGENCY WARNS

JERUSALEM — The U.N. children’s agency says an Israeli ground operation in Rafah would pose “catastrophic risks” to children sheltering in the southern Gaza city.

UNICEF estimates some 600,000 children are in Rafah – roughly half the city’s population. Most of those people are huddling in tents and overcrowded apartments after fleeing Israel’s military offensive in other parts of the territory.

In a statement Monday, UNICEF warned that many of the children are “highly vulnerable.”

It said an estimated 65,000 children suffer from a pre-existing disability and an estimated 175,000 children under the age of 5 suffer from one or more infectious diseases. Almost all children, it said require mental health services.

“More than 200 days of war have taken an unimaginable toll on the lives of children,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director. “Rafah is now a city of children, who have nowhere safe to go in Gaza. If large scale military operations start, not only will children be at risk from the violence, but also from chaos and panic, and at a time where their physical and mental states are already weakened.”

UNICEF called for a lasting cease-fire and release of hostages held by Hamas.

BIDEN AND NETANYAHU SPEAK BY PHONE AS ISRAEL APPEARS CLOSE TO INVADING RAFAH

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Monday morning, a White House official said, as Israel appeared closer to launching an offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah — a move staunchly opposed by the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.

A National Security Council spokesperson said Biden reiterated U.S. concerns about an invasion of Rafah said he believes reaching a ceasefire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

The two officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the call before an official White House statement was released.

The Biden administration, which provides Israel crucial military and diplomatic support, says it opposes a Rafah invasion unless Israel provides a “credible” plan for protecting civilians there.

The United Nations humanitarian aid agency has warned that hundreds of thousands of people would be “at imminent risk of death” if Israel carries out a military assault into Rafah. The city on the border with Egypt is a critical entry point for humanitarian aid and is filled with displaced Palestinians, many in densely packed tent camps.