Hamas has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, hours after Israeli bombardment escalated in Rafa, the inhabitants of which were ordered in the morning to leave their homes.
In a statement on Monday, Hamas said the head of its political office, Ismail Haniya, told Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister that the group had accepted their proposal.
The ceasefire proposal agreed to by Hamas is a three-phase deal, each lasting 42 days, the Palestinian Islamist group’s deputy head in Gaza told Qatari television network Al Jazeera.
Khalil al-Haya also said that the second phase of the agreement foresees the complete withdrawal of Israel from Gaza.
The full statement from Hamas on the ceasefire
“Mujahideen brother Ismail Haniya, head of the political office of the Hamas movement, had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and with the Egyptian Minister of Information, Abbas Kamel, and informed them of the movement’s approval Hamas of their proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement”.
Israel is negative
An unnamed Israeli official quoted by Reuters as saying that Hamas has accepted a “soft” Egyptian proposal that is not acceptable to Israel.
Israeli media also report that the Israeli government has not accepted the deal.
Biden pressured Netanyahu not to invade Rafa, White House says
US President Joe Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against a large-scale Israeli military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Monday, hours after Israel told Palestinians to evacuate parts of the area.
The White House said Biden reiterated his “clear position on Rafah,” which was that Israel should not proceed with an invasion plan unless it shows how it will protect hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians there.
The Israeli evacuation order comes after talks in Cairo aimed at reaching a ceasefire in exchange for the release of the hostages deal stalled with Hamas demanding an end to the war after Israel proposed a cease-fire for several weeks.
The evacuation order fueled fears of an all-out assault in Rafah, long threatened by Israel, against Palestinian militant group Hamas strongholds, seven months after Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7 and took 252 hostages, according to with the Israeli authorities. massive Israeli retaliation in response has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave say, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble.
“President Biden briefed the Prime Minister on efforts to secure a hostage deal, including through talks being held today in Doha, Qatar. The prime minister agreed to ensure that the Kerem Shalom crossing would be open for humanitarian aid.
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