Hamas has issued a statement stating that it accepts a ceasefire proposal with Israel put together by the mediators, Egypt and Qatar. According to the note, the political leader of the Palestinian organization, Ismail Haniye, spoke by phone with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohamed bin Abdel Rahman Al Thani, and with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abas Kamel, to inform them. The two Middle Eastern nations have been mediating talks between Israel and Hamas for months.
Senior Israeli officials said the ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas had no input from Israel and was therefore not acceptable. Officials called it an exercise and a unilateral proposal without Israeli participation. One of these officials, according to the Maariv newspaper, said that “we are waiting for details. “We will examine Hamas’ response and try to understand why Hamas agreed and why it did not.” Another government official commented that “this would appear to be a ruse aimed at making Israel look like the party rejecting a deal.”
For his part, a senior Hamas official told Agence France Press that “after Hamas has accepted the mediators’ proposal for a ceasefire, the ball is now in the court of the Israeli occupation, whether it accepts the ceasefire agreement or obstructs it.”
The announcement came hours after Israel ordered Palestinians to begin evacuating the southern Gaza city of Rafah ahead of an Israeli military operation. Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold.
News of Hamas’ announcement caused the people of Rafah to cheer in the streets. Details of the proposal were not immediately released. But in recent days, Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the ceasefire would come in a series of stages in which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. It is unclear whether the agreement will be honored. Hamas’s key demand to end the war and complete the Israeli withdrawal.
