Israeli troops took control of the Rafah border-crossing area in Gaza on Tuesday (May 7) morning, with Hamas saying all aid flows from Egypt had stopped.

The army has halted “the movement of people and aid completely”, the Hamas-run crossing authority said in a statement. Soldiers replaced Palestinian flags with Israeli ones.

It’s the first time Israel’s army has moved into the area since the war with Hamas began in October.

The border is the main entry point for aid into Gaza, and the Palestinian territory’s only crossing point aside from those with Israel. The US has been urging Israel for weeks to allow more food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which the United Nations says are on the verge of famine.

The movement of troops came a day after Israel told residents in parts of eastern Rafah to leave immediately ahead of a possible attack on the city.

Most Arab and many European states have said Israel should not attack Rafah, fearing it would cause mass casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Rafah is the last bastion of Hamas, with about 5,000 to 8,000 of its fighters and senior leaders lodged in the city, as well as many Israeli hostages.

Cease-fire talks between the two sides continue to drag. Hamas said on Monday night it had accepted a proposal from mediators Egypt and Qatar. Israel rejected it, saying it contained demands the Jewish state could not accept.

  - Bloomberg