Hamas says it has accepted a ceasefire deal offered by Egypt and Qatar, which aims to end the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza.
In a statement Monday, Hamas said the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, told the Qatari prime minister and Egypt's intelligence minister that the militant group had accepted their proposal.
The Israeli government is currently reviewing Hamas' response. The Israeli prime minister's office declined to comment at this stage.
It is unclear whether Hamas accepted the most recent ceasefire proposal, as presented last week, or a revised version of it.
The most recent framework, which Israel helped develop but has not fully agreed to, calls for the release of 20 to 33 hostages over several weeks in exchange for a temporary ceasefire and the release of prisoners. Palestinians.
After the initial exchange, according to this framework, would follow what sources describe as the “restoration of lasting calm” during which the remaining hostages, captive Israeli soldiers and the bodies of the hostages would be exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners.
A diplomatic source close to the negotiations said that after a day-long meeting in Qatar's capital Doha between CIA Director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the mediators convinced Hamas to accept a three-part deal.
“The bill is now firmly in (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp,” the source said.
The United States is also reviewing Hamas' response and “discussing it with our partners in the region,” State Department Matthew Miller said.
“We continue to believe that a hostage agreement is in the best interest of the Israeli people. It is in the best interest of the Palestinian people. It would result in an immediate ceasefire, it would allow for increased movement of humanitarian aid and so we will continue to work to try to achieve one,” he said.
As news of Hamas' announcement spread across Gaza, Palestinians began celebrating in the streets of Deir al-Balah, in the center of the Strip, and Gaza City in the north.
The news comes just hours after Israel ordered Palestinians living in Rafah, a town in southern Gaza, to “evacuate immediately.”
The order raised fears that the long-threatened Israeli assault on the city was imminent. More than a million Palestinians have fled to Rafah, where Hamas is believed to have regrouped after Israel destroyed much of northern Gaza.
A source close to Israeli plans said a limited incursion into Rafah was intended to maintain pressure on Hamas to accept a deal that would result in a ceasefire and a release of the hostages.
Ongoing IDF operations
Asked if Hamas' acceptance of a deal could change Israel's plans for Rafah, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said the army would continue to operate in Gaza. He said operations were ongoing, but the IDF was making every effort in negotiations to return the hostages home as “quickly as possible.”
Netanyahu has come under heavy pressure from the most extreme wing of his coalition not to accept last week's ceasefire proposal and to instead focus on destroying the Hamas in Rafah.
Orit Strook, Israel's settlements minister and a member of the far-right Religious Zionism party, said last week that accepting the deal would “throw” Israel's military progress “in the trash.”
Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's national security minister, said Netanyahu had “promised that Israel would enter Rafah, assured that the war would not end and there would be no reckless deal.”
But much of the Israeli public has called on Netanyahu to accept a deal. Families and supporters of the hostages blocked the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv last week, holding a banner reading: “Rafah or hostages choose life.”
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet but seen as a rival and possible successor to Netanyahu, said the return of the hostages was more urgent than entry into Rafah.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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