Israel and Hamas ‘agree to return to the negotiating table’

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Summary:

• Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said the military’s capture of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing was an “important step” towards dismantling Hamas.
• The Israeli army said early Tuesday that its forces had taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing after launching air strikes that killed at least 27 people, according to hospitals. UN officials said the seizure had rendered the second of Gaza's two main aid delivery routes unusable. "The two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza are currently choked off," a UN spokesperson said.
• CIA chief William Burns arrived in Cairo Tuesday for talks, according to Egyptian sources. Israeli and Hamas delegations also arrived in the Egyptian capital Tuesday amid frantic diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire deal.
• Hamas on Monday accepted an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a ceasefire, with an official telling Al Jazeera the deal involved a three-phase truce: a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians and a hostage-prisoner exchange, with the goal of a permanent ceasefire. 
• At least 34,789 Palestinians have been killed and an estimated 78,204 have been wounded in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Some 1,170 people were killed in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures, with 132 still missing.

Yesterday's key developments:

• Israel's war cabinet on Monday night unanimously approved a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
• In a phone call Monday between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Biden “reiterated his clear position” opposing a planned Rafah offensive, said a White House readout.
• During the phone call, Netanyahu “agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance”, added the White House readout.
• France's foreign ministry responded to events in Rafah in a strongly worded statement, noting that the "forced displacement of a civilian population constitutes a war crime under international law".
• The Israeli army called Monday on some 100,000 Gazans to leave eastern Rafah for a "humanitarian area" in Gaza ahead of an expected military operation in the city. 

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters, AP)