JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official reported that Israeli tanks entered the southern Gaza city of Rafah and came within 200 meters of the border crossing with neighboring Egypt.
The Egyptian official said the operation appeared to be limited in scope. Both he and Al-Aqsa TV said Israeli officials informed the Egyptians that troops would withdraw after the operation ended.
The Israeli military declined to comment. On Sunday, Hamas fighters near the Rafah border crossing fired mortars into southern Israel, killing four Israeli soldiers.
The Egyptian official, located on the Egyptian side of Rafah, and the Palestinian security official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the scope of the operation.
Earlier on Monday, the Israeli war cabinet decided to press ahead with the military operation in Rafah, after Hamas announced it was accepting an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a ceasefire. The Israeli military said it would carry out “targeted strikes” against Hamas in Rafah, without giving further details.
