JERUSALEM, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Tuesday that if the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Cairo fail, Israel will escalate its military assault on the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah.

Gallant said the aim of the latest military operation in Rafah, which began overnight between Monday and Tuesday, is to increase the pressure on Hamas and "create the conditions for the release of the hostages held in Gaza."

He said that Israel "is ready for compromise in order to bring the hostages back home." However, he added that if no progress is made, "we will deepen the operation throughout the Gaza Strip."

His warning came hours after Israeli tanks and warplanes stormed Rafah, where about 1.4 million displaced people have sought refuge from bombardments elsewhere, according to estimates by the United Nations.

Residents reported heavy bombardments. According to the Palestinian official news agency WAFA, at least 20 Palestinians were killed. The Israeli army said that those killed were militants.

The Rafah Crossing, which had been a crucial passage for vital humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza in recent months, fell under the control of an Israeli tank brigade and was shut down.

Video footage circulating on social media, recorded by soldiers, showed the raising of the Israeli flag near the Rafah Crossing. The area appeared deserted, following Israel's warning to civilians in the densely populated eastern Rafah to evacuate to tents in Al Mawasi and Khan Younis.

An Israeli military spokesperson said the army was conducting "a precise counterterrorism operation" to eliminate Hamas battalions in Rafah.

The Israeli army wrote on social media platform X that four mortar shells and two rockets were launched from Rafah toward Israeli territory, triggering sirens in the Kerem Shalom area. However, no injuries or damages were reported.

The operation began amid intense efforts to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed pessimism about the prospect of reaching a deal. He said that the deal proposal, brokered by Egyptian and Qatari mediators and approved by Hamas on Monday, was "very far from Israel's essential requirements."

Nonetheless, a working-level Israeli delegation landed in Cairo for indirect negotiations with Hamas. Netanyahu said he had instructed the delegation to "continue to stand firm on the conditions necessary for the release of our hostages, continue to stand firm on the essential requirements to ensure Israel's security."

Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's wartime Cabinet, emphasized the urgency of reaching a deal. "The delegation not only has the mandate to listen but also the obligation to act for an agreement to free the hostages," he stated.

According to Israeli figures, approximately 133 hostages, captured during Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct. 7, are still held in Gaza, with dozens of them believed to have died. Enditem

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