The Israeli military says its troops have taken "operational control" of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
Rafah has been a key entry point for aid and the only exit for people able to flee since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October.
A tank brigade moved in to the crossing area after a night of intense strikes.
With Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing also closed, the UN warned Gaza's two main aid arteries were now choked off.
On Tuesday, the White House said it had been told Kerem Shalom would reopen on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Israeli military ordered tens of thousands of civilians to begin evacuating nearby eastern parts of Rafah city, ahead of what it called a "limited" operation to eliminate Hamas fighters and dismantle infrastructure.
The Palestinian armed group said on Monday that it had accepted a proposal from Egypt and Qatar, the basis of which is a weeks-long pause in the fighting and the release of several dozen hostages still held in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Hamas's announcement was "very far from Israel's necessary requirements" and that it was a failed attempt to "disrupt the entry of our forces into Rafah" .
He said he had instructed the mid-level Israeli delegation sent to Cairo on Tuesday to "stand firm" on the conditions required for the return of the hostages and on "vital requirements for ensuring Israel's security".
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on the Gaza border: "We will not cease operating in Rafah until Hamas is destroyed, or until the first hostage returns home."
UN Secretary General António Guterres said a deal between Israel and Hamas was "essential to stop the unbearable suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and of the hostages and their families".
"I reiterate my appeal for both parties to show the political courage and spare no effort to secure an agreement now," he added.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others were taken hostage.
More than 34,780 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
A deal agreed in November saw Hamas release 105 hostages in return for a week-long ceasefire and some 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel says 128 hostages are unaccounted for, 34 of whom are presumed dead.
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68967397
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