Israel approves Rafah attack amid ceasefire talks

Israel has approved a potential assault on the Gazan city of Rafah while also keeping ceasefire hopes alive with plans to send another delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible hostage deal with Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had approved a plan to attack the city on the southern edge of the shattered Palestinian enclave where more than half of its 2.3 million residents are sheltering after months of war.

Global allies and critics have urged Netanyahu to hold off attacking Rafah, fearing mass casualties. Israel says it is one of the last strongholds of Hamas, which it has pledged to eliminate, and that residents will be evacuated.

In Washington, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the United States had not seen the Rafah plan, but would like to. He told a regular briefing a Hamas ceasefire-forhostages proposal was within the bounds of what was possible.

Hamas has presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the US, which includes release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, according to a proposal seen by Reuters.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office said Hamas’ demands for the release of hostages remained unrealistic, but an Israeli delegation would still head to Doha once cabinet had discussed its position.

Negotiators failed this week to reach a ceasefire agreement in time for the Ramadan Muslim holy month. Washington and Arab mediators are still determined to reach a deal to head off an assault on Rafah and let in aid.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri accused Netanyahu of ‘‘manoeuvring ... to conduct more crimes of genocide’’.

‘‘He isn’t interested in reaching an agreement,’’ he said.

Israel has rejected claims of genocide, saying it is purely focused on destroying all Hamas fighters.

There is increasing friction between Washington and Israel. Officials in US President Joe Biden’s administration say Israel is waging war with too little care for civilians.

US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected US official and a leader of Biden’s Democratic Party, called on Thursday for Israelis to replace Netanyahu, whose hardline policies he said were wrecking Israel’s world standing. Biden said Schumer had made ‘‘a good speech’’ and that many Americans shared those concerns.

More than two weeks after receiving an Israeli-approved proposal for a truce, Hamas gave mediators this week its counterproposal. Like previous proposals from both sides, the offer foresees dozens of Israeli hostages being freed in return for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, during a weeks-long ceasefire.

Hamas also called for talks in a later stage on ending the war, but Israel has said it is only willing to negotiate a temporary truce.

Israeli security cabinet member and National Unity minister Chili Tropper said there were still wide gaps in Israeli and Hamas positions.

‘‘We have to be honest with the public, if we reach a deal that will return our boys and girls home, it will come at a cost, and a heavy one,’’ he told N12 News.

‘‘It won’t be at any cost, but we also shouldn’t mislead. To bring back these people, who we failed to protect on October 7, we will have to pay a price. What will that cost be? I’ll leave that to closed doors.’’

The war began with an attack by Hamas fighters from Gaza who killed 1200 people and seized 253 hostages in Israel on October 7. Since then, an Israeli assault has killed more than 31,000 people and driven nearly the entire population of Gaza from their homes.

The United Nations says a quarter of Gazans are on the verge of famine, and late last week, the first ship bringing aid by sea, the Open Arms, arrived off Gaza.

Israel said 130 pallets of humanitarian equipment and 115 tonnes of food and water were offloaded to World Central Kitchen charity’s trucks for distribution after security checks.

Israel, which has sealed off all land routes into Gaza apart from two crossings on the territory’s southern edge, denies blame for hunger and says aid agencies should do a better job. Reuters