“Hamas” agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza; Israel carries out “targeted strikes” in Rafah / Article

“Hamas” agrees to the offer

The statement of the group “Hamas” says that its top leader Ismail Haniya told the acceptance of the proposal in a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Qatar and the Minister of Intelligence of Egypt.

Details are yet to be released, including how long the truce is planned to last and what it will mean for Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

In recent days, Egyptian and Hamas officials have announced that a truce will be reached in several stages, in which Hamas will release hostages in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas” official representatives stated that now “the ball is in Israel’s court”.

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 the last bastion of Hamas.

Israel strikes in Rafah

Israel’s wartime government approved a military operation in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah on Monday evening, hours after Hamas confirmed it was accepting a ceasefire offer from Egypt and Qatar. The Israeli army announced the launch of “targeted strikes” in Rafah against Hamas.

An AFP correspondent reported heavy shelling in Rafah the night before talks on a cease-fire offer are expected on Tuesday, which include three steps: the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war and the exchange of hostages and prisoners with the aim of achieving a “permanent truce”.

Both a Palestinian security official and an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that

Israeli tanks have entered Rafah, coming just 200 meters from the Egyptian border.

An Egyptian official confirmed that the operation was apparently limited. The official and Hamas’ Al Aqsa TV channel reported that Israeli officials have informed Egypt that the soldiers will be withdrawn after the operation is over.

The Israeli army has not made further comments.

CONTEXT:

On October 7, 2023, “Hamas” carried out a massacre in Israel, murdering around 1,200 people, the absolute majority of whom were civilians. About 250 more people, including women, children and old people, were taken hostage by the terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip.

Israel declared martial law in the country and launched extensive air and artillery strikes, as well as a ground operation against Hamas targets in the group’s controlled Gaza Strip, as well as stepped up military operations in the West Bank. So far, more than 34,000 people, mostly women and children, have died in the Gaza Strip, according to data from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, and the UN has warned of the growing threat of famine there.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, have long been mediators between Israel and Hamas in efforts to broker a truce between the two sides. Ceasefire talks have been going on for months without a decisive breakthrough. Israel has said it is committed to eliminating Hamas, while Hamas says it wants a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.