Israel defies pleas for peace by seizing Rafah crossing

Tanks take control of key aid route as ceasefire deal hangs in balance

- Jitendra Joshi

ISRAEL defied warnings from its allies including Britain by appearing to move forward with an offensive on the Gazan city of Rafah this morning, even as a ceasefire deal with Hamas hung in the balance.

After hours of confusion over the fate of peace talks, Israeli tanks seized control of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, blocking the main route through which aid has been trickling through to millions of besieged Palestinians in Gaza.

The military told some 100,000 Palestinians to leave parts of the city, signalling that an all-out ground invasion was imminent against what Israel says is the last redoubt of Hamas in the Palestinian territory.

Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the United Nations humanitarian affairs office, warned that a full assault on Rafah could sever a fragile aid operation including all fuel entering Gaza.

He said: “It will plunge this crisis into unprecedented levels of need, including the very real possibility of a famine.”