Middle East Conflict: Netanyahu Rejects Hamas' Demand To End War; Rafah Evacuation Begins

Biden, Netanyahu to discuss Rafah

The two leaders will talk over the phone later Monday to discuss the Israeli army's operations in Rafah, multiple outlets reported.

The reports came after the IDF ordered parts of eastern Rafah to be evacuated. The Biden administration has repeatedly informed Israel that it is opposed to an invasion of the city unless Israel establishes a clear plan to protect civilians.

Estimated 100K people asked by IDF to evacuate: Local media

An estimated 100,000 Palestinian civilians were asked by the Israeli army to leave eastern Rafah ahead of a looming ground raid into the city packed with displaced people from the other parts of the territory, local i24 News reported Monday.

Rafah operation needed to pressure Hamas into accepting deal: Gallant

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said a ground operation in Rafah was necessary to pressure Hamas into accepting a ceasefire deal as it has been refusing "any plan to return our abductees."

He said Israeli troops are "ready for a powerful operation all over Gaza and especially in the Rafah area" and an "order" to begin the ground raid will be given soon.

UNRWA refuses to leave Rafah

The United Nations' relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) on Monday said it "is not evacuating" and will "maintain a presence in Rafah as long as possible." The humanitarian aid agency's statement came as Israel ordered residents of parts of the city to leave the area.

Egyptian report says Hamas' Kerem Shalom attack sabotaged truce talks

Hamas' attack on Kerem Shalom Sunday that killed four Israeli soldiers caused ceasefire talks to come to a standstill, Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera TV reported Monday, citing a "high-level" Egyptian source.

Egypt, a key mediator in the talks for a ceasefire, have been pushing the warring sides to agree to a ceasefire that could see the release of more Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees.

EU's Josep Borrell slams 'unacceptable' Rafah evacuation

The European Union's foreign policy chief on Monday said Israel's evacuation orders for the evacuation of Rafah civilians "portend the worst: war and famine." He said the "unacceptable" orders underline how the international community, including the bloc, should "act" to prevent Israel's ground raid of the overcrowded city.

US demands 'more details' regarding Rafah evacuations: Report

The Biden administration on Monday reached out to the Israeli government to ask for "more details" regarding the Israeli army's operation in Rafah after the IDF ordered residents of eastern Rafah to evacuate, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported.

Israeli officials are expected to hold a meeting with U.S. officials regarding the matter later in the day.

Hamas says Rafah evacuation orders a 'dangerous escalation'

Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, on Monday said the IDF's evacuation orders for Rafah residents in the city's eastern tip was a "dangerous escalation" to the war. He also said Washington bears as much responsibility as Israel does in the latest development.

Israel will fight, even if it fights alone: Netanyahu

The Israeli leader on Sunday said at a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony that Israel "will stand alone" if it is forced to do so. He recalled how no one came to Israel's aid when Nazis killed millions of Jews, and yet the State of Israel survived. It will, this time, too, he said.

"I say to the leaders of the world, no amount of pressure, no decision by any international forum, will stop Israel from defending itself," he reiterated.

His statements were made as multiple countries, including its longtime ally, the U.S., expressed opposition to a ground incursion into Rafah given the crowds sheltering in the southern Gaza city.

Read the full story here.

Biden to host Abdullah amid falling hopes for a ceasefire soon

The U.S. president will meet Jordan's King Monday at the White House as Middle Eastern ceasefire negotiators and mediators have yet to announce significant progress in talks for a truce in Gaza.

King Abdullah II's visit to the U.S. comes weeks after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Jordan to discuss ways through which the two countries can boost humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza.

Maersk warns of Red Sea disruptions' rising impact on shipping

The container shipping giant on Monday warned that it is expecting the shipping industry's capacity between Asia and Europe during the second quarter of the year to be cut by up to 20% due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

The Yemeni rebel group's attacks have also pushed freight costs higher since container vessels have had to travel the longer route through Africa's southern tip to get to their destinations.

Hezbollah launches drone toward northern Israel

Hezbollah launched a kamikaze drone toward the Metula area in northern Israel, injuring two people seriously, local media reported.

The Iranian-backed terror group has been launching missiles and drones toward Israel since the Israel-Hamas war started. The IDF has also been responding to the attacks, specifically targeting Hezbollah posts in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu rejects Hamas' demand to end war for ceasefire

The Israeli Prime Minister on Sunday said Israel "cannot accept" Hamas' demand to end the war in exchange for a truce deal. He said Israel will reject a situation wherein the Palestinian terror group will take Gaza's reigns once more and threatens Israelis.

Rafah residents flee in spring rain

Rafah residents were residing in areas ordered by the IDF to be evacuated Monday scrambled to leave even as the spring rain poured into Rafah. Witnesses told Reuters that the camp the Israeli army wants Rafah residents to move into were already crowded with other displaced Palestinians and there was nearly no room for new tents to be put up.

4th soldier dies after Hamas' Kerem Shalom rocket barrage

The Israeli army on Monday announced the death of a fourth soldier who sustained serious wounds after Hamas fired ten rockets Sunday afternoon toward Kerem Shalom, located along the Israeli-Gazan border.

At least 10 other people were wounded in the attack, as per local media, with three in serious condition and two moderately injured. Israel has since shut down the Kerem Shalom border crossing – a critical entry point for humanitarian aid entering the war-torn Palestinian territory.

Hamas' notorious Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. Local reports noted that the rockets were fired several hundred meters from the Rafah humanitarian crossing.

Israeli army orders evacuations in parts of Rafah

The IDF on Monday morning called on residents of the "eastern neighborhoods of Rafah to evacuate to the expanded humanitarian area" in Almoasi as per a Google translation of the Israeli army's announcement on X. Israeli troops "will act with great force against the terrorist organizations in the area where you are," the IDF noted.

This comes despite international calls for Israel to refrain from launching a ground raid of Rafah, as the city has become a shelter from the war to majority of the Gaza Strip's two million residents.