Talks in Cairo seek a deal to end the Gaza war and free hostages

Egyptian officials have said that any move that sends Gazans into Egyptian territory could jeopardize the situation decades-old peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, an anchor of stability in the Middle East. But on Monday, Egypt offered assurances of that the treaty would stand.

Many Palestinians say Israel wants to drive them out, and they fear that if they ever leave, Israel would not let them back in — just as Arabs who fled or were expelled from Israel at Israel's founding are not allowed to return.

Mr Netanyahu, who vowed to crush Hamas, has described Rafah as his last stronghold in Gaza. Israeli officials say securing the city is crucial to prevent another attack like the one on October 7, when militants led by Hamas in Israel killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 others.

On Monday, after Israeli commandos released two of the hostages in Rafah, Mr. Netanyahu said that “only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all our hostages.”

Harel Chorev, a researcher at Tel Aviv University, said the rescue operation could be used to strengthen Netanyahu's argument for an expanded ground invasion.

“It shows that military pressure works, and that it can ultimately justify Israel's position on the need to invade Rafah,” Mr. Chorev said.

But Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of the Horizon Center for Political Studies and Media Outreach in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said the high Palestinian death toll from the raid could prompt Egypt, the US and Qatar to push harder for a agree.

At least 67 people were killed in Israeli attacks accompanying the rescue operation, according to Gaza's health ministry. More than 28,000 people in Gaza have been killed during Israel's military campaign, the Health Ministry says.

“They want to avoid further operations like this with human casualties and the possibility of the hostages being killed,” Mr Dalalsha said.

Since October 7, Israel has carried out an intense aerial bombardment and ground invasion, first concentrating in northern Gaza and then working its way south. The country has repeatedly ordered citizens to evacuate, expelling many of them multiple times and steadily forcing them into smaller spaces and more dire conditions. Rafah is the last remaining area where it told Gazans to take refuge – and even the country has not been immune to airstrikes.