Israeli forces take key Rafah crossing

‘Everybody is coming to the table’ as cease-fire negotiations continue.

CAIRO — Israeli troops seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing Tuesday in what the White House described as a limited operation. But fears of a full-scale invasion of the city are mounting as talks with Hamas over a cease-fire and hostage release remain on a knife’s edge.

The U.N. warned of a potential collapse of the flow of aid to Palestinians from the closure of Rafah and the other main crossing into Gaza, Kerem Shalom, at a time when officials say northern Gaza is experiencing “fullblown famine.”

The Israeli foray overnight came after hours of whiplash in the 7-month-old Israel-Hamas war, with the militant group saying Monday it accepted a cease-fire proposal that Israel insisted fell short of its own core demands.

The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope — if only barely — for a deal to bring at least a pause in the war, which local health officials say has killed more than 34,700 Palestinians and devastated the Gaza Strip.

By capturing the Rafah crossing, Israel gained full control over the entry and exit of people and goods for the first time since it withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, though it long has maintained a blockade of the coastal enclave in cooperation with Egypt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the capture of the crossing an “important step” toward dismantling Hamas’ military and governing capabilities. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel would “deepen” the operation if talks failed.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the operation along the Gaza-Egypt border in eastern Rafah was not a full-on invasion of the city that President Joe Biden repeatedly has warned against on humanitarian grounds. Kirby said Israel had described it as “an operation of limited scale and duration” aimed at cutting off Hamas arms smuggling.

Kirby expressed optimism about the negotiations, saying Israel and Hamas “should be able to close the remaining gaps” to complete an agreement, without offering a timetable. He said CIA chief William Burns will attend further talks in Cairo with representatives from Israel, Egypt and Qatar. Hamas also has sent a delegation to Cairo, which will meet separately with the Arab mediators.

“Everybody is coming to the table,” Kirby said.

Fighting forced the evacuation of the Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital, one of the main medical centers receiving people wounded in airstrikes on Rafah in recent weeks. It was not immediately clear how many patients had been moved to other facilities.

The looming operation threatens to widen a rift between Israel and the United States, which says it is concerned over the fate of about 1.3 million Palestinians crammed into Rafah, most of whom have fled fighting elsewhere.

Biden warned Netanyahu again Monday against launching an invasion of the city after Israel ordered 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate from parts of Rafah. But Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he calls off the offensive or makes too many concessions in cease-fire talks.

Palestinians’ joy over Hamas’ acceptance of the cease-fire deal turned to fear Tuesday, with families feeling Rafah’s eastern neighborhoods. Families of the hostages also saw their hope turn to despair. Rotem Cooper, whose father, Amiram, was among scores abducted during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, questioned at an Israeli parliamentary hearing whether military pressure was an effective bargaining tactic.

ISMAEL ABU DAYYAH/AP Israeli forces took control of a key border crossing in Rafah on Tuesday. U.S. officials said the attack wasn’t part of a full-scale offensive; Israel’s defense minister said the operation could deepen.