Hamas has drawn up a plan for a four and a half month truce, in three stages, likely, according to it, to lead to the end of the conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused this prospect and asked the army to prepare for the offensive in Rafah.
At least 31 of the 136 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas have died, according to an internal assessment conducted by the Israeli army. A new round of negotiations begins Thursday in Cairo and aims to obtain “ calm in the Gaza Strip,” an Egyptian official announced.