Hamas video shows a fierce combat between Israeli forces and Gaza residents.

The United States has cautioned that a ceasefire agreement with Hamas is still some way off, and Israel has responded with fatal attacks on the southern city of Rafah.

Claiming that Israel had not yet succeeded in eliminating Hamas, Binyamin Netanyahu threatened to take the war south, announcing that fighters had fled to the city of refugees near the Egyptian border.

Over a million Palestinians who have fled the bombardment further north now reside in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, which was previously declared a safe zone. Aid organizations have issued alerts about the spread of sickness and starvation.