Hamas accepted an ceasefire proposal on Monday as Israeli troops prepared for a Rafah offensive. Israeli officials however indicated that the Egyptian-Qatari mediated proposal contains ‘far-reaching’ conclusions it is unwilling to accept. It is not yet clear whether the deal will bring about an end to the seven month long Gaza war or ensure complete withdrawal of troops.
Officials told Reuters that Hamas had agreed to a proposal that included the ceasefire as well as reconstruction of Gaza, return of the displaced and a prisoner swap deal. Members of the militant group also intend to visit Cairo for further discussion about the ceasefire agreement and consequent steps. The Hamas deputy Gaza chief told the publication that it had accepted a “three phased agreement” with each segment being 42 days.
Egyptian and Hamas officials had previously said that a ceasefire would take place in a series of stages during which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza.
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An Israeli official however told Reuters that Hamas had approved a ‘softened’ Egyptian proposal appeared to be “a ruse intended to make Tel Aviv look like the side refusing a deal”. Local media reports also said that the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government had not accepted the deal.
“The mujahid brother Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas movement’s political bureau, had a phone call with the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and with the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence, Abbas Kamel, and informed them of the Hamas movement’s approval of their proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement.” Al Jazeera quoted the militant group as saying.
The developments come mere hours after Israel ordered tens of thousands sheltering in Rafah to evacuate on Monday ahead of a “limited scope operation”. US President Joe Biden had also held a lengthy telephonic conversation with his Israeli counterpart on Monday evening, with Washington reiterating its opposition towards a major ground invasion of the southern Gaza city.
Foreign leaders including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan have welcomed the news of a possible ceasefire. The senior politician also urged Western countries to increase pressure on Israeli leadership for acceptance of the ceasefire deal.
“We welcome the statement by Hamas that they accepted the ceasefire with our suggestion. Now, Israel must take the same step,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 06 May 2024, 10:23 PM IST
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