Hamas accepts Egypt, Qatar’s ceasefire proposal , Israel responses

Hamas on Monday agreed to a ceasefire proposal in the seven-month-old war with Israel in Gaza, hours after the Israeli military told residents to evacuate some parts of Rafah, which has been sheltering more than a million displaced people.

Haniyeh had spoken on the phone with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel, “and informed them of Hamas’s approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire agreement”, the group said in a statement published on its official website.

A senior Hamas official however stressed that “this does not mean that the ceasefire has come into effect yet”, pointing out that “the Israeli side has not yet communicated its position”.

“The ball is now in the court of the Israeli occupation, whether it will agree to the ceasefire agreement or obstruct it,” another senior official told AFP on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorised to speak publicly about the negotiations.

Israel’s response

Meanwhile, an Israeli official said on the truce Hamas said it agreed to was a “softened” version of an Egyptian proposal that included “far-reaching” conclusions that Israel could not accept.

“This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal,” said the Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Israel’s military spokesperson said on Monday that all proposals regarding negotiations to free hostages in Gaza are examined seriously, and that in parallel it continues to operate in the Hamas-ruled territory.

Asked during a media briefing whether Hamas saying it accepted a ceasefire proposal would impact a planned offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “We examine every answer and response in the most seriously manner and are exhausting every possibility regarding negotiations and returning the hostages.”