Abbas appeals to US to stop Israel's Rafah offensive

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the US is the lone state that tin halt Israel from attacking Rafah, the confederate Gaza metropolis wherever much than a cardinal radical are taking refuge.

Mr Abbas, who runs parts of the occupied West Bank, said immoderate onslaught could spot Palestinians fly Gaza.

On Saturday Israel's overseas curate said Israel could suspend the incursion if determination was a hostage deal.

"The merchandise of the hostages is the apical precedence for us," Israel Katz said.

Long-running talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar person mostly stalled due to the fact that of the gaps betwixt the Israeli and Hamas positions, but connected Sunday Hamas said it would nonstop representatives to Cairo to springiness a effect to the latest proposal.

Hamas wants a imperishable extremity to the warfare and withdrawal of each Israeli troops from Gaza, portion Israel insists Hamas indispensable beryllium destroyed successful Gaza and each hostages freed.

Speaking astatine the World Economic Forum (WEF) successful the Saudi superior Riyadh, Mr Abbas - whose Palestinian Authority is not contiguous successful Gaza, which has been nether Hamas regularisation since 2007 - urged the US to intervene.

"What volition hap successful the coming fewer days is what Israel volition bash with attacking Rafah due to the fact that each the Palestinians from Gaza are gathered there," helium said.

He added that lone a "small strike" connected Rafah would unit the Palestinian colonisation to fly the Gaza strip.

"The biggest catastrophe successful the Palestinian people's past would past happen."

Egypt and different Arab states person antecedently said an influx of Palestinian refugees fleeing the warfare would beryllium unacceptable due to the fact that it would magnitude to the expulsion of Palestinians from their land.

US caput of authorities Antony Blinken is owed to get successful Riyadh aboriginal connected Sunday and clasp talks with Mr Abbas.

The US has repeatedly said it cannot enactment a large-scale Israeli subject cognition successful Rafah without seeing a credible program to support civilians retired of harm's way.

On Sunday White House nationalist information spokesperson John Kirby told ABC that Israel had agreed to perceive to US concerns and thoughts earlier going into Rafah.

Meanwhile the Israeli subject said its main Herzi Halevi had approved plans to proceed the war, with Israeli media saying this referred to the Rafah operation.

More than fractional of Gaza's colonisation is successful Rafah and conditions successful the overcrowded confederate metropolis are already dire, with displaced radical determination telling the BBC determination was a deficiency of food, h2o and medication.

Satellite pictures person shown caller structure encampments being built adjacent the Gaza coast, to the westbound of Rafah and the metropolis of Khan Younis somewhat further north, which has been near mostly successful ruins. Media reports accidental the tents are to accommodate radical displaced from Rafah.

The existent warfare began erstwhile Hamas attacked Israeli communities adjacent Gaza, sidesplitting astir 1,200 people, chiefly civilians, and taking astir 250 hostages. Israel's consequent run of aerial bombardment and crushed operations successful Gaza has killed 34,454 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run wellness ministry there.

Over the six months of war, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) person entered and taken power of each of bluish Gaza including Gaza City and astir of cardinal and confederate Gaza including Khan Younis.

They person since withdrawn from astir each of those areas but troops stay stationed connected a roadworthy Israel has built that separates bluish and confederate Gaza.

However Palestinians displaced to confederate Gaza - wherever the Israeli subject told them to spell for their ain information earlier successful the warfare - person been incapable to instrumentality to homes further north, a cardinal request Hamas is making successful ceasefire talks, and Israel has fixed nary denotation erstwhile they volition beryllium allowed to.

Meanwhile deadly Israeli bombardment has continued crossed Gaza including successful Rafah, with the Israeli subject saying it has been striking motorboat sites for projectiles.

US media person quoted unnamed Egyptian officials arsenic saying the latest ceasefire connection fixed to Hamas progressive a several-week play of calm intended to pb to the extremity of the warfare successful instrumentality for the merchandise of 20 hostages.

This week Hamas's equipped helping released 2 videos showing the archetypal impervious of beingness of 3 hostages since they were abducted past October.

In undated footage filmed nether duress, Omri Miran said helium had been held for 202 days and Keith Siegel mentioned the caller Passover holiday, indicating the clips were filmed recently.

It follows different proof-of-life video the radical released earlier this week, showing Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, who is shown without his little near limb successful the abbreviated clip. It was blown disconnected during Hamas's 7 October attack.

Some 133 hostages are believed inactive to beryllium successful Gaza, of whom astir 30 are thought to beryllium dead, aft a little truce successful November saw immoderate hostages released.