A Palestinian boy sits outside a residential building destroyed in an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, March 9, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

JERUSALEM/GAZA/RAMALLAH – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved Friday a plan of Israel Defense Forces for the operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah and rejected Hamas demands about the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, said Netanyahu's office.

In a statement issued following a war cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the demands of Hamas are "still absurd."

He noted Israel will still send delegates to Qatar, a main regional mediator of a diplomatic solution to the raging Gaza conflict, to continue the truce efforts "once the security cabinet discusses the Israeli position".

READ MORE: Netanyahu says to press forward with military campaign in Rafah

Israel's decision came despite widespread warnings from the international community to avoid more incursions into Rafah, where about 1.5 million Palestinian refugees have been seeking shelter since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct 7, 2023.

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip from ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 31,490, said the Hamas-run Health Ministry

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

About 1.4 million Palestinians, mostly displaced people, are sheltering in Rafah.

Netanyahu had previously asked the army to prepare a dual plan for a military operation in Rafah, including evacuating civilians and pursuing Hamas elements.

Warning against Rafah operation

The Palestinian presidency warned the same day against the Israeli government's decision to carry out Rafah military operation.

In a statement published by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), the presidency called for the urgent intervention of the international community to prevent such "dangerous aggression", which exacerbates the suffering of the people in Gaza.

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The presidency reaffirmed its rejection of any "displacement" and emphasized the necessity of stopping the ongoing war and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, obliging Israel to implement international resolutions.

Destroyed buildings are seen through the window of an airplane from the US Air Force, as they stand in the Gaza Strip, March 14, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Gaza death toll reaches 31,490

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip from ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 31,490, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Friday.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 149 Palestinians and wounded 300 others in the coastal enclave, bringing the total death toll to 31,490 and injuries to 73,439 since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct 7, it said.

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Some victims remained trapped under rubble due to heavy bombardment and a lack of civil defense and ambulance crews, it added.