Israel has vowed to close the Gaza Strip and launch a military operation “in the near future” after the Hamas attack

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JERUSALEM – Israel closed a key crossing for much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza after Hamas militants attacked it on Sunday, and the defense minister said Hamas did not care about the cease-fire and warned “there will be a strong operation in the near future.” In Rafah and elsewhere throughout Gaza.”

Both have hit out at ongoing ceasefire efforts in Cairo between Egypt and Qatar after signs of progress were reported. Israel, unlike Hamas, did not send a delegation, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said “we are seeing signs that Hamas does not want to enter into any agreement.”

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In another threat to the talks, Israel ordered the closure of local offices of the Qatari satellite news network Al Jazeera, accusing it of spreading anti-Israel propaganda. The ban does not seem to have affected the channel's operations in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from hardliners in his government, has continued to play down hopes of a ceasefire, calling Hamas' demands “extreme” including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and an end to the war. That would be tantamount to surrendering after the attack by Hamas on October 7 that sparked the battle, Netanyahu said.

Hamas did not immediately respond to Gallant's comments. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in an earlier statement that the militants are serious and positive about the talks and that ending Israel's aggression in Gaza is a top priority.

But the Israeli government has vowed to continue the military operation in Rafah, the southernmost Gaza city on the border with Egypt, where more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are now seeking refuge from Israeli attacks. Rafah is the main access point for aid.

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Kerem Shalom, which is now closed, is another. The Israeli military said 10 shells were fired at a crossing in southern Israel, and its fighter jets later said it had hit the source. Hamas said it targeted Israeli forces in the area. Israel's Channel 12 reported that 10 people were injured, three seriously. It is not known how long the crossing will be closed.

The attack came shortly after the head of the UN's World Food Program declared “total starvation” in the devastated northern Gaza Strip, one of the most serious warnings of restrictions on food and other aid entering the territory. The comments were not an official announcement of the famine.

Gaza's enormous humanitarian needs have put additional pressure on the ceasefire talks. The proposal presented by Egyptian mediators to Hamas would set out a three-stage process that would include a six-week ceasefire and the partial release of Israelis captured in the October 7 attack and some form of Israeli withdrawal. The initial period lasts 40 days. Hamas begins by releasing female hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

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Netanyahu said Israel was ready to withdraw, but said he would “continue to fight until we achieve all our goals.” This includes the goal of destroying Hamas. Israel says it must target Rafah and strike the fighters who remain there, despite warnings from the US and others about the threat to civilians.

In a later speech on Israel's annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, Netanyahu said: “We will defend ourselves in every way. We will defeat our enemies and ensure our security in the Gaza Strip, on the Lebanese border, everywhere.”

On October 7, a cross-border attack by Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took another 250 hostages. Israel says militants are still holding about 100 people and the remains of more than 30 hostages. Netanyahu is being pressured by the families of some of the hostages to reach an agreement to end the war and release the hostages.

Palestinian health officials say Israeli air and ground attacks have killed more than 34,500 people, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say the majority of the dead are women and children.

Israel accuses Hamas of killing civilians and infiltrating residential and public spaces. The Israeli army claims to have killed 13,000 militants, but provides no evidence to support this claim.

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