The Israeli army announced a new “barrage” of strikes against Hamas positions in the eastern part of the town of Rafah in southern Gaza.
In a brief statement, the army said that more information would follow and reiterated the order it gave in the morning to the residents of the eastern Rafah districts to leave, clarifying that the evacuation is the prelude to a “ground” operation in the city that has become a refuge above of one million Palestinians in the southern tip of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Council of War
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war cabinet had approved the continuation of the Rafah operation to increase pressure on Hamas to release Israeli hostages and achieve the country’s other war goals. “The war cabinet unanimously decided that Israel will continue the operation in Rafah to put military pressure on Hamas in order to advance the release of our hostages and the other goals of the war,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
“At the same time, although the Hamas proposal falls far short of Israel’s necessary demands, Israel will send a working delegation to the mediators in order to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel,” it said.
The IDF is currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/bmZgoNKXMB
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 6, 2024
Hamas said on Monday it had agreed to a three-phase deal for a ceasefire and a hostage exchange, although an Israeli official said the deal was not acceptable to Israel because the terms had been “softened”.
The United States, which along with Qatar and Egypt played a mediating role in the talks, said it was studying Hamas’ response and would discuss it with its Middle Eastern allies.
Based on details released so far by Hamas officials and an official briefed on the talks, the deal the Palestinian group said it agreed to includes the following
The truce plan
PHASE ONE
– A 42-day ceasefire period
– Hamas releases 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
– Israel partially withdraws its troops from Gaza and allows free movement of Palestinians from southern to northern Gaza.
SECOND PHASE
– Another 42-day period that includes an agreement to restore a “sustainable calm” in Gaza, language that an official briefed on the talks said Hamas and Israel agreed to in order to take talk of a “permanent ceasefire”.
– The complete withdrawal of most Israeli troops from Gaza.
– Hamas releases Israeli reservists and some soldiers in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinians from prison.
THIRD PHASE
– The completion of the exchange of bodies and the start of the implementation of the reconstruction according to the plan overseen by Qatar, Egypt and the United Nations.
– Ending the full blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The US is “reviewing” Hamas’ response
The White House said it was reviewing Hamas’ response as it continued to press Israel to halt plans for a ground invasion of Rafah.
CIA Director William Burns is in the area and is having discussions about the proposal, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters. He declined to elaborate, saying he did not want to jeopardize any progress toward a deal.
“We are reviewing this response now and discussing it with others in the region. We will discuss this response with our partners in the next few hours. We continue to believe that a hostage deal is in the best interest of the Israeli and Palestinian people.”
Erdogan calls on Israel to accept the truce proposal
Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Israel to accept the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza after the positive response of Hamas. He also said that Hamas accepted the ceasefire proposal at the urging of Turkey.
“We are pleased that Hamas has announced that it has accepted the ceasefire at our urging. Now Israel must take the same step. I call on all Western actors to put pressure on the Israeli government,” said the Turkish president in his statements after the meeting of the Council of Ministers in Ankara.
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