GAZA/JERUSALEM/BEIRUT/CAIRO - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Tuesday to launch a ground attack on Rafah "with or without" a deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

Speaking in a meeting with families of hostages, Netanyahu said that Israel has begun the evacuation of Palestinian civilians from Rafah, according to his office.

Israel considers Rafah as Hamas's last major stronghold in the Palestinian enclave. Rafah is Gaza's southernmost city, where about 1.2 million Palestinians have been seeking shelter

"We will enter Rafah and eliminate Hamas battalions there, with or without a deal, to achieve the total victory," he said.

Israel considers Rafah as Hamas's last major stronghold in the Palestinian enclave. Rafah is Gaza's southernmost city, where about 1.2 million Palestinians have been seeking shelter.

The remarks were made as Israeli and Hamas negotiators were in Egyptian-brokered talks on a deal for a ceasefire for the nearly seven-month-long Gaza conflict, that will secure the release of hostages.

According to Egyptian sources quoted by Al-Qahera News on Tuesday, the Hamas delegation has left the Egyptian capital following the talks and will "return with a written response to the truce proposal".

For months, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been trying to mediate a new agreement between Hamas and Israel on a truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.

ALSO READ: At least 20 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Rafah

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

On Monday, Hamas said achieving a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is crucial for reaching an agreement with Israel.

Abdul Latif al-Qanou, a spokesman for Hamas, said in a statement that "ensuring a permanent ceasefire is a fundamental cornerstone for moving towards the details of negotiations and the success of the agreement with the Israeli occupation"

Abdul Latif al-Qanou, a spokesman for Hamas, said in a statement that "ensuring a permanent ceasefire is a fundamental cornerstone for moving towards the details of negotiations and the success of the agreement with the Israeli occupation."

He stressed the necessity of fulfilling the demands of the Palestinian people, including a "permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of forces from the Gaza Strip, and the return of refugees".

These demands "are not unrealistic conditions but legitimate demands understood by mediators and supported by our people, and agreed upon nationally and factionally," said the spokesperson.

Accusing Israel of "using the weapon of chaos and destabilization", he said what the Israeli army had failed to achieve "over the past seven months of destruction, devastation, and genocide" will not be achieved "in the wasted time of war".

On Sunday, as reported by Israeli public radio, a senior Israeli official said Israel was facing "decisive moments in the efforts to reach a new hostage deal".

The official added, "We are awaiting the response of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar," expecting it to be made "within the next 48 hours". He noted that Israel has expressed readiness to make "very significant concessions" regarding the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza.

Israel estimated that there were still about 134 Israelis held hostage in Gaza, whereas Hamas announced that 70 of them had been killed in Israeli airstrikes.

According to Palestinian organizations concerned with prisoners, Israel detained over 9,000 Palestinians in its jails, with reports of deteriorating conditions and instances of fatalities among them.

ALSO READ: Cairo-Riyadh talks boost hope on Gaza truce

On late Monday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden discussed in a phone conversation the danger of a military escalation in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.

"It would add catastrophic dimensions to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the sector, as well as its effects on the region's security and stability," the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

The two leaders discussed the latest developments regarding the ongoing negotiations and Egypt's efforts to "achieve calm in the Gaza Strip, reach a ceasefire, and exchange captives".

They stressed the necessity of trying to prevent an expansion of the conflict and reaffirmed the importance of a two-state solution to achieve security, peace, and stability in the region.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, on Monday claimed responsibility for launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward the headquarters of the Eastern Brigade in northern occupied Palestine

Separately, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, on Monday claimed responsibility for launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward the headquarters of the Eastern Brigade in northern occupied Palestine.

The Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement that they "bombed from southern Lebanon the headquarters of the 769th Eastern Brigade (Jibour Camp) in northern occupied Palestine, in response to the Zionist enemy's massacres in Gaza and the rebellious West Bank".

Meanwhile, a Lebanese military source told Xinhua that about 35 surface-to-surface missiles were monitored on Monday from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel, some of which were intercepted by Israeli Iron Dome missiles, with several exploding above the Marjayoun Plain area in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon.

According to the source, Israeli warplanes carried out on Monday morning four raids on three villages and towns in the western and central sectors, while Israeli artillery bombed ten border towns and villages in southern Lebanon with about 40 shells, and no casualties were reported.

READ MORE: Yemen's Houthis claim responsibility for attacks on British oil tanker, US drone

Also on Monday, two Israeli reserve soldiers were killed in a clash with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces.

Kalkidan Mehar, 37, and Ido Aviv, 28, were killed "in a battle" in the central Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said.

The Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement via Telegram that the soldiers were killed in two separate ambushes, one in the Al-Mughraqa area in the central Gaza Strip and the other in the "Netzarim axis", a zone that separates the northern and southern Palestinian enclave.

The Al-Qassam Brigades said that several other soldiers were wounded in the attack, whereas Israel said that one other soldier sustained serious injuries.