Scorched earth: War-torn Gazans return to their shattered homes in Khan Younis following Israel's decision to reduce operations in the Strip - but Netanyahu warns more is to come

Traumatised Palestinians have been left to pick up the pieces of their homes after Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew a majority of the IDF's troops from the south of Gaza, but promised they would be back to invade Rafah, the last refuge for 1.4 million displaced Gazans.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a date has been set for an Israeli invasion of Rafah, without disclosing that date as a new round of ceasefire talks take place in Cairo.

'Today I received a detailed report on the talks in Cairo, we are constantly working to achieve our goals, first and foremost the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas,' Netanyahu said.

'This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. It will happen - there is a date.'

An estimated 55% of the buildings in the Khan Younis area, around 45,000 buildings, have been destroyed or damaged, according to two mapping experts who have been using satellite imagery to track destruction.

'Where do I sleep? Where do I go?' Heba Sahloul's aged mother sobbed in despair, sitting amid the rubble of the family's living room. 

Her daughters searched for anything they could take with them. The room's walls were blown away and the floor was piled with chunks of concrete, slabs of the ceiling and broken countertops. 

Sahloul said Israeli troops ordered them to leave during the fighting. 'We left all our things here, and we went out with only our clothes,' she said. Her father was killed earlier in the assault, leaving Sahloul, her sisters and her mother. 'We are only six women at home and we do not know where to go,' Sahloul said.

One woman, who identified herself as Hanan to the Associated Press, clambered over collapsed concrete slabs atop a mountain of her home's wreckage. Her son crawled on all fours into a hollow under the rubble and twisted rebar, clearing away concrete blocks.

'There are no words to describe the pain inside me,' the woman said, her voice breaking. 'Our memories, our dreams, our childhood here, our family - It's all gone.'

Netanyahu's shock announcement came hours after reports suggested Hamas and Israel were just two days away from agreeing a ceasefire and hostage deal that would have put at least a temporary end to the bloodiest war in the Middle East in decades. 

Hamas and Israel sent negotiators to Cairo, Egypt, where they were joined by mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar. 

Egyptian state-linked news outlet Al-Qahera reported 'significant progress being made on several contentious points of agreement', citing an unnamed high-ranking Egyptian source. 

The outlet said Qatari and Hamas delegations had left Cairo and were expected to return 'within two days to finalise the terms of the agreement'.

US and Israeli delegations were also due to leave the Egyptian capital 'in the next few hours' for consultations over the next 48 hours, it added.

But negotiations have been shaky throughout the six-month war in Gaza, with both Hamas and Israel pulling out of talks over disagreements several times. 

Israel's allies, including the US and the UK, have expressed opposition to Israel's stated plans to invade Rafah, home to 1.4 million civilians seeking refugee from the bloody war against the enclave. 

Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron previously wrote on X: 'Deeply concerned about the prospect of a military offensive in Rafah – over half of Gaza's population are sheltering in the area.

'The priority must be an immediate pause in the fighting to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.'

Israel's top ally, the US, has said invading Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians.

Israel is purchasing 40,000 tents to prepare for the evacuation of Rafah, an Israel official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Netanyahu's announcement came as streams of Palestinians filed into the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday to salvage what they could from the vast destruction left in the wake of Israel's offensive, a day after the Israeli military announced it was withdrawing troops from the area.

Allowing people to return to Khan Younis could relieve some pressure on Rafah, but many have no homes to return to. The city also is likely filled with dangerous unexploded ordnance left by the fighting.

Israel's military quietly drew down troops in devastated northern Gaza earlier in the war. 

But it has continued to carry out airstrikes and raids in areas where it says Hamas regrouped, including Gaza's largest hospital, Shifa, leaving what the head of the World Health Organisation called 'an empty shell'.

Israel blames Hamas for the damage, saying it fights from within civilian areas.