Israel warns Egypt: "Last chance" for hostage deal before Rafah invasion

Israeli officials told their Egyptian counterparts on Friday that Israel is ready to give hostage negotiations "one last chance" to reach a deal with Hamas, but if there isn't progress soon it will move forward with a ground invasion of Rafah, two senior Israeli officials said.

The Egyptians are increasingly concerned about a possible Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and are making a last minute push for a hostage deal that would lead to a ceasefire in Gaza and stop an invasion of Rafah.

Egyptian officials have raised concerns that an Israeli operation in the city would lead to tens of thousands of Palestinians entering their territory, potentially involving a breach of the border that would endanger Egypt's security.

Israel has for weeks said it would invade Rafah, where more than one million displaced Palestinian are estimated to be sheltering amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The Israeli officials said the talks with the Egyptians on Friday were constructive and that the Egyptians made it clear they intend to put pressure on Hamas to secure a deal for the release of hostages.