Israel's War on Gaza Live: Israel pounds Rafah in overnight strikes
Live Updates
The presidents of France and Egypt, along with the king of Jordan, have issued a warning to Israel to not launch an invasion of Rafah and called for an "immediate" ceasefire.
"We warn against the dangerous consequences of an Israeli offensive on Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians have sought refuge," the three leaders said in a joint editorial published in several newspapers.
"Such an offensive will only bring more death and suffering, heighten the risks and consequences of mass forcible displacement of the people of Gaza and threaten regional escalation."
The piece was penned by French President Emmanuel Macron, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren, a previous presidential candidate, said that she believes Israel's war in Gaza will legally be considered a genocide.
“If you want to do it as an application of law, I believe that they’ll find that it is genocide, and they have ample evidence to do so,” Warren said during an event at the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland, Massachusetts.
She was referring to the case before the International Court of Justice, where South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
A spokesperson for Warren told Politico that the senator "commented on the ongoing legal process at the International Court of Justice, not sharing her views on whether genocide is occurring in Gaza".
Palestinian news outlets are now reporting that at least 84 dead bodies have been recovered from Khan Younis, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area.
The US chapter of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (Unrwa) has announced it would provide financial assistance to Unrwa after several countries including the US halted their funding.
Unrwa USA said it would begin with providing $5m.
"UNRWA USA calls on all donors, supporters, and advocates to double down on their efforts and support as we collectively return to our essential mission and primary objective: saving lives," the organisation said in a statement.
The US suspended assistance to the aid agency after Israel accused Unrwa staff members of being involved in the 7 October attacks on southern Israel, which were led by Hamas.
Video footage shows Israeli forces raiding the funeral of Palestinian author Walid Daqqa, who died from cancer in Israeli prison.
Forces are seen assaulting, harassing and detaining members of the Daqqa family.
Daqqa was imprisoned in 1986 and was due to be released in 2023 before his sentence was extended. He died after 38 years under Israeli custody.
A Hamas official told Reuters that no progress had been made during the ceasefire negotiations in Cairo.
"There is no change in the position of the occupation (Israel) and therefore, there is nothing new in the Cairo talks," the Hamas official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "There is no progress yet."
Israel and Hamas sent teams to Egypt on Sunday for talks that included Qatari and Egyptian mediators as well as CIA director William Burns.
Two Egyptian security sources told the newspaper that progress was made in the talks, and both sides made concessions that could lead to a deal for a three-stage truce.
Delegations left Cairo and consultations were expected to continue within 48 hours, the sources said.
A Palestinian official close to mediation efforts told Reuters that a deadlock continued regarding the end of the war, with Israel refusing to conclude the war and withdraw forces from Gaza and lift a 17-year-old blockade on the enclave.
Reuters reported earlier, citing senior Hamas official Ali Baraka, that Hamas rejected the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal.
"Regarding the exchange of prisoners, Hamas was and is willing to be more flexible, but there is no flexibility over our...main demands," he said.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing that the US has not been briefed on a date for Israel's invasion of Rafah, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date was set
Miller said that Washington has not yet seen a credible plan for the invasion, and said that such an invasion would be a humanitarian catastrophe as well as a security risk for Israel.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date has been set for an Israeli invasion of Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city and last refuge for more than one million displaced Palestinians.
The prime minister did not disclose the date, as a new round of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas take place in Cairo.
"Today I received a detailed report on the talks in Cairo. We are constantly working to achieve our goals, first and foremost the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas," Netanyahu said.
"This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen - there is a date."
The Foreign Press Association released a statement calling for Israel to allow international journalists into Gaza to report on the war.
The FPA said that Israel's blocking of journalists from entering the enclave raises “questions about what Israel does not want international journalists to see”.
Israel has allowed a small number of western journalists into Gaza, however, they are required to be under military escort and would need the reporting to be reviewed by the Israeli military.
"The blanket ban has limited the world's ability to witness the true cost of the war to all sides," the statement said.
The UN Security Council has referred the Palestinian Authority's membership application to the committee that deals with the admission of new member states.
Malta's UN ambassador Vanessa Frazier proposed that the committee meet on Monday at 3 pm to consider the application. Malta is president of the Security Council for April.
There has been no admission of a new member to the UN since 1976.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that Turkey had requested to be involved in airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Fidan said that Jordan had approved of the request, however, Israel rejected the proposal.
The Associated Press is reporting that Israel is buying 40,000 tents in preparation for the evacuation of Palestinians from Rafah.
The report, citing an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the tents were being purchased to prepare for an anticipated operation there.
The White House has said that an invasion of Rafah is not imminent, and rights groups have warned against an invasion of the southern Gaza city.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said that more than 300 aid trucks entered Gaza on Sunday, and that the US would continue to pressure Israel to allow more aid into the besieged enclave.
Prior to the war in Gaza, 500 trucks were entering the area each day.
Kirby said Washington was taking the discussions around a ceasefire seriously and was hoping to secure a deal as soon as possible. The deal, Kirby said, would lead to a ceasefire of around six weeks.
The White House said that CIA Director William Burns was in Cairo over the weekend for "a serious round" of negotiations on a deal between Israel and Hamas, and that Hamas is reviewing the current proposal now.
Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said that the United States bears responsibility for the strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus last week.
Abdollahian made the remarks on Monday during a press conference in Damascus alongside his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad.
On 1 April, the Iranian consulate was targeted by an air strike, which killed at least five people including a Revolutionary Guard Corps commander. Tehran accused Israel of being behind the attack, which it said was done by a US-made F-35 fighter jet.
The attack marked a major escalation in Israel’s campaign against Iran.
Mekdad, the Syrian minister, said the attack was a violation of international law.
Multiple news outlets are reporting that the dead bodies of Palestinians are beginning to be recovered after Israeli forces withdrew from the area.
Al Jazeera Arabic is reporting that at least 67 dead bodies were found, while some Palestinian news outlets are reporting that at least 64 bodies were found.
