Gaza war: Biden speaks to Netanyahu as Israeli jets strike two Rafah areas, 10 key points

Hopes for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip are dimmingbuta fresh round of negotiations will take place in Qatar on Monday (May 6). Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Bill Burns headed to Qatar's capitalDoha for"emergency" discussions on mediation in the war. Burns would continue to stay in Doha as the truce talks drag on and willhead to Israel by Tuesday for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A Hamas official, meanwhile, said that the group's delegation for truce talkswas headedto Doha for consultations.

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On Sunday, the ceasefire talks in Egypt's Cairo failed to produce a breakthrough. Hamas reiterated that it would not accept a truce that did notcompletelyend the war, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "personally hindering" a deal.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, meanwhile,hardened his rejection of Hamas'demands for an end to the Gaza war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, saying on Sunday that would keep the Palestinian militant groupin power and pose a threat to Israel.

These developments came as 16 peoplewere killedin Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip's Rafah city.The airstrikes came hours after Hamas claimed responsibility for a rocket attack near RafahwhichIsraeli said killed three IDF soldiers and injured 11 more.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas started in October last year after Hamas launched an assault in southern Israel in which 1,200 peoplewere killedand 252 taken hostage.

Israel responded by striking back hard at the Gaza Strip, killing more than 34,000 people.

With the outcome of Monday's truce talks unknown, here's a look at the latest updates:

1. US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone on Monday evening, according to Israeli media. The conversation reportedly lasted half an hour.

2. Gaza officials said Israeli jets have targeted at least two areas in Rafah that the IDF hadordered to be evacuated."The areas targeted by the Israeli occupation are near the perimeter of Gaza International Airport, the Al-Shuka area, the Abu Halawa area, the Salaheddin street area and the Salam neighbourhood," Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Ahmed Ridwan was quoted as saying by AFP. Another aid official confirmed the strikes.

3. Egypt has reportedly raised its military’s level of preparedness in northern Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip.

4. EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell on Monday urgedIsrael to “renounce” the idea of invadingRafah. In a post on social media, he called on both sides to implement UN security council resolution 2728, which demanded “an immediate ceasefire … by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire” and also called for “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and “the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale”.

5. Hezbollahsaid it fired "dozens of Katyusha rockets" at an Israeli base in the occupied Golan Heights on Monday in retaliation for a strike in Lebanon's east.Hezbollah fighters launched "dozens of Katyusha rockets" targeting "the headquarters of the Golan Division... at Nafah base", the group said in a statement.
   
6. The Israeli military on Mondaybegan evacuating Palestinian civilians from eastern Rafah ahead of a threatened assault on the southern Gazan city. The military said that around 100,000 people were being evacuated.
   
7. According to local media reports,the evacuations were now focused on a few peripheral districts of Rafah from which evacuees would be directed to tent cities in nearby Khan Younis and Al Muwassi. The military said that the east Rafah evacuation was a "limited scope operation," as it began to drop flyers, send text messages, and make phone calls to Palestinians with instructions on the zones that needed to be evacuated, and which routes to take to a designated humanitarian zone.
   
8. Hamas called the evacuation plan a“dangerous escalation that will have consequences.”
   
9. At least 16 people were killedin Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip's Rafah, AFP reported on Mondaycitingmedics and firstresponders. The airstrikes came hours after Hamas claimed responsibility for a rocket attack near RafahwhichIsraeli said killed three Israeli soldiers and injured 11 more.
   
10. The Israeli military confirmed the counter-strike, saying it struck the launcher from which the Hamas projectileswere fired, as well as a nearby "military structure."The military said10projectileswere launched fromRafahin southern Gaza towards the area of Kerem Shalom, which it said was now closed.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Also watch |Israel-Hamas war: Families of hostages rally again in Tel Aviv

(With inputs from agencies)