Israel has launched an airstrike on Rafah the same day as Hamas accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal from mediators Egypt and Qatar.

       Smoke was seen billowing into the sky from explosions today after the Israeli war cabinet unanimously approved a military operation into the Gaza Strip city.

       The decision came immediately after Hamas announced it had accepted the ceasefire proposal.

       Israel, however, has yet to accept the conditions, leaving uncertainty as to whether a deal had been sealed to bring a halt to the seven-month war in Gaza.

       READ MORE: Netanyahu warned of revolt across Israel as ceasefire ‘to be rejected’

       The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians to start evacuating the southern Gaza town of Rafah earlier today, signaling its preparation for a looming ground invasion.

       The military dropped leaflets telling people to leave the eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah and to move to Khan Younis or Muwasi, a makeshift tent camp and a humanitarian zone.

       The leaflets warned the ground invasion in Rafah, where about 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering, was imminent and anyone who stays "puts themselves and their family members in danger".

       Israeli officials emphasized that Rafah is the last major stronghold for Hamas in Gaza, with Netanyahu saying that the aniticipated ground offensive against the town was vital to accomplishing its goal of eliminating the terror group.

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