Hopes of Gaza ceasefire fade as Israel insists its forces will enter Rafah

Hopes of a ceasefire in the war in Gaza are fading amid Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated rejection of calls to hold off on a Rafah ground offensive, and a vote by his cabinet that Israel will formally oppose international efforts at what it called the "unilateral recognition" of a Palestinian state.

- Bethan McKernan

Diplomatic efforts led by Egypt, Qatar and the US are also stalling: Qatari officials acknowledged yesterday that indirect talks in Cairo between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which restarted last week, had "hit an impasse". Washington has also signalled that it will veto this week's expected new push for a UN Security Council resolution on a ceasefire.

The diplomatic impasse was met with dismay by the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, where almost 29,000 people are said to have been killed, 85% of the population has been displaced and one in four are starving, according to the UN.

The four-month-old war was triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October last year, when 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. Of the 130 hostages still in Gaza, about 30 are presumed dead, according to Israeli officials.

Airstrikes on Gaza City, Khan Younis and the territory's southernmost border town of Rafah - Gaza's last place of relative safety - killed at least 18 people overnight, according to local officials. The Israeli military blames Hamas for civilian casualties, saying it uses Gaza's population as human shields.