The Israeli military said its ground forces have seized control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, closing a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The move comes after Hamas announced it had accepted a cease-fire proposal following weeks of talks with Qatar and Egypt.
Israel said that the deal was “far from” its requirements and that it would push ahead with a Rafah operation and send a delegation to talks.
The ground incursion is “a very limited” operation designed to achieve tactical military goals and put pressure on Hamas in talks, an Israeli official told NBC News.
Israeli negotiators are heading to Cairo today to try bridge gaps between the Israeli-approved proposal and the Hamas-approved proposal, the official said.
Earlier, Israel told some 100,000 people to evacuate eastern Rafah and head to what it said was an expanded humanitarian area. World leaders and aid groups have warned against a broader operation in the city, where more than 1 million people are sheltering.
Click for live updates from NBC
