Israel turns focus of Gaza attack to Rafah as Hamas weighs ceasefire proposal

More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are sheltering in this area, mainly cold and hungry in makeshift tents and public buildings

An Israeli soldier waves from a tank on the way back from the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, near the Gaza border, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Picture: AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov

Israel prepared to advance its war on Gaza farther south, close to the Egyptian border, after claiming to have dismantled Hamas in Khan Younis, as diplomatic efforts in pursuit of a ceasefire accelerated.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday that success in the fight against the Palestinian militants in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where Israel launched a major ground attack last week, meant its forces could advance to Rafah on the enclave's southern border.