Israeli forces to expand bloody campaign to Rafah, defence minister says

Israeli forces will continue their Gaza military campaign to Rafah, the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has said, despite the huge numbers of Palestinian civilians there who have nowhere else to go.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Gallant said: "The Khan Younis Brigade of the Hamas organisation is disbanded, we will complete the mission there and continue to Rafah.

"The great pressure that our forces exert on Hamas targets brings us closer to the return of the abductees, more than anything else [we can do].

"We will continue until the end, there is no other way."