Netanyahu predicts an end to Rafah violence

Benjamin Netanyahu says the "intense phase" of combat in Rafah, southern Gaza, is almost done, but the battle has not ended.

He claimed the conflict would continue until Hamas was overthrown.

He claimed that Israel would soon be able to move soldiers to Lebanon, where Hezbollah shootings have escalated.

Mr Netanyahu again rejected the suggestion that the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority should rule Gaza instead of Hamas.

"In the end, you will need the ongoing military demilitarisation by the Israel Defence Forces and a civil administration; I hope with the support and management of certain countries in the region, this is the right way to move forward," he told Israeli television.

"I am not ready to construct a Palestinian state or give it to the PA. I am not ready."

Rafah residents reported further fighting, while Israeli air strikes on Gaza City killed the Hamas-run health ministry's emergency services director.

The IDF stated that Hamas utilised an aid distribution hub that was targeted.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is visiting Washington to address the Gaza conflict and rising tensions with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

After Hamas's devastating onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, which murdered 1,200 civilians and kidnapped 251, the Israeli military initiated a campaign to eradicate the Palestinian militant organisation.

Since then, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has reported 37,551 deaths. It recognised 14,680 children, women, and older adults as dead by April, but it does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.