AMNA NAWAZ: Today, Israeli Prime Minister# Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to## develop plans to evacuate Rafah,# the southernmost city in Gaza.

Its pre-October 7 population was 100,000.

Today,# Gazans from all over the strip have filled tent## cities there.

More than half of Gaza's 2.3# million people have fled to Rafah.

And even## before today's order, Israel has been maintaining# pressure on Rafah, launching dozens of airstrikes.

At the same time, there's progress on# talks that would pause the fighting.

Nick Schifrin is here with more on that.

Nick, you have new details on the# hostage negotiations.

What do we know?

NICK SCHIFRIN: A U.S. official tonight confirms# to me that Bill Burns, the director of the CIA,## will head to Cairo soon to participate in another# round of negotiations over a hostage deal.

And he has been the crucial U.S. official leading# those negotiations.

And as a reminder of how we## got here, two weeks ago, Israel agreed to a# plan negotiated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt## to an initial six-week pause that would be# extended in three phases of hostage releases.

Hamas' counterproposal this week required# an Israeli withdrawal first from cities,## then all of Gaza.

Israel interpreted that# counterproposal as Hamas remaining in power## after the war.

But U.S. officials tell me that,# while that was going on, there's been progress## in those negotiations just in the last few# days, despite Netanyahu's public statements.

Remember, he called Hamas' counterproposal# -- quote -- "delusional," and of course,## what you mentioned at the top of this, threatening# to expand the war into Rafah.

So Burns is hoping## to maintain that progress that officials# tell me has been made in the last few days,## but also keep pressure on Netanyahu# to take these negotiations seriously.

The question for Netanyahu is, will# he allow his spy chief, David Barnea,## the head of Mossad, who's been leading the Israeli## negotiations -- you see him there -- to go# to Cairo to keep the negotiations going?

And this is crucial, Amna, as we have been# talking about.

The U.S. believes that even a## temporary -- even a temporary pause is the# key to trying to unlock its broader goals## across the region, Gaza reconstruction,# Gaza governance after the war, and,## of course, the big goals, two-state solution and# normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

AMNA NAWAZ: As you mentioned, though,## Netanyahu is threatening to..

So, how difficult is that going# to be in a place like Rafah?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Extremely difficult.

As you pointed out, more than a millio.. times the pre-October 7 population.

And# U.S. officials insist that Israel does## not have any military plans ready for Rafah,# let alone any plans to deal with all of those## civilians, as deputy State Department# Spokesman Vedant Patel said yesterday.

VEDANT PATEL, Principal Deputy State# Department Spokesperson: We have yet to## see any evidence of serious planning for# su.. such an operation right now with no# planning and little thought in an## area where there is sheltering of a# million people would be a disaster.

NICK SCHIFRIN: You can actually# see Patel referring to his notes.## So they had planned to make that# statement before the briefing.

And that's a shift for the administration.

It# does not usually warn Israel not to conduct## an operation that it has not yet launched.# And that's what we saw from multiple U.S.## officials.

Yesterday.

We also heard# President Biden last night -- last## night making his most pointed critique# of how Israel has launched this war.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United# States: The conduct of the response in## the Gaza Strip has been over the top.# Initially, the president of Mexico,## El-Sisi, did not want to open up the gate# to allow humanitarian material to get in.

I talked to him.

I convinced him# to open the gate.

Innocent people,## innocent women and children# were also in badly need of help.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Part of that sound bite, of course,## was President Biden mixing El-Sisi for AMLO, the# president of Mex..

But the fact is that U.S. officials believe# Netanyahu is serious about going into Rafah,## and they really wanted to make the# point that it was a bad idea.

But they## also make the point that Netanyahu# behind the scenes is negotiating,## is making progress for that pause# in Gaza to release the hostages.

And so they say there is some bluster in what# Netanyahu is doing, because he is trying to## maintain his coalition that includes far right# politicians who have threatened to leave the## coalition, bring down the government if he# presses pause on the war.

So, the question,## of course, Amna, that we have tonight, is, will# Netanyahu try and achieve his military goals in## the coming days or weeks, or will he embrace the# possibility that this war could at least pause?

And, of course, that is what# the U.S. wants to open up## those larger negotiations across the region.

AMNA NAWAZ: We will see where# those negotiations lead.

Nick Schifrin with the very latest.

Thank you, Nick.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Thank y..