Netanyahu vows to carry out Rafah invasion, which US says would be a mistake

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated his pledge to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying a date has been set for the ground offensive into the city filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip.

The United States, Israel's closest ally, has said a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians.

Israel's offensive has pushed Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, displacing over 80 per cent of the population and leaving more than one million people on the brink of starvation.

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International efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas are taking place in Cairo this week.

Egyptian officials said on Tuesday that mediators have presented a new ceasefire proposal to Hamas and Israel that would include a six-week pause in fighting and a swap of 40 Hamas-held hostages for at least 700 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Israel says more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza, with about a quarter of those believed dead.

The Palestinian death toll from the war has passed 33,200, with nearly 76,000 wounded, Gaza's Health Ministry said.

The ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

The war began October 7 when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.