Hamas has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, but Israel deemed it insufficient and rejected it, continuing its planned military offensive against the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Associated Press reports.
The proposed ceasefire includes multiple stages, including a limited hostage release and partial Israeli troop pullbacks within Gaza. Hamas sought guarantees for an end to the conflict and complete Israeli withdrawal, but Israel has rejected this, vowing to continue its campaign until Hamas is destroyed. Despite this, Israel expressed willingness to continue negotiations and has agreed to send negotiators to Egypt to work on a potential deal.
Hamas’s acceptance of the ceasefire came shortly after Israel ordered the evacuation of around 100,000 Palestinians from eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, indicating an imminent invasion. The Israeli military conducted targeted strikes against Hamas in the area and reportedly deployed tanks close to the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
