Israel intensified attacks on the southern city of Rafah on Monday hours after Hamas said it would accept the terms of a ceasefire plan drawn up based on a proposal by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said that while the new proposal did not meet Israel’s demands, the country would still send a working delegation to the talks in the hope of reaching an acceptable deal. Qatar also said it would send a delegation to the talks in Cairo.
As Israeli forces carried out attacks in eastern Rafah, the prime minister’s office said the war cabinet had unanimously decided that Israel would continue its military actions in the city to put pressure on Hamas. The decision, the office said, sought to advance all of Israel’s war objectives, including the release of hostages.
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that the proposal Hamas was willing to accept included three phases, each lasting 42 days, and stressed that its main goal was a permanent ceasefire.
Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political wing, first described Hamas’s new position in a post on the group’s Telegram channel at 7:36 p.m. in Israel. His statement came hours after Israel ordered the population of part of Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, to evacuate ahead of a promised offensive there, and a day after Hamas fired rockets near the Kerem Shalom crossing. in the border region between Israel and southern Gaza. killing four soldiers.
Haniyeh said he had told Qatar’s prime minister and the head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service that Hamas had accepted “his proposal.” There was no immediate comment from Egypt.
Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, confirmed that Hamas had “issued a response” and that the United States was reviewing it with partners in the region.
Hamas negotiators left Cairo on Sunday after talks hit a deadlock and failed to reach an agreement with mediators on Israel’s latest offer.
The main obstacle in the indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt has been the duration of the ceasefire. Hamas has demanded a permanent ceasefire, which would effectively end the seven-month war, while Israel wants a temporary cessation of fighting that would allow the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners.
Al-Hayya, who has been leading Hamas delegations in in-person talks in Cairo, said the new offer also included a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the return of displaced people to their homes and a “real and serious” exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
In its most recent proposal, Israel made some concessions, including accepting the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza and reducing the number of hostages it would agree to be released in the initial phase of a deal.
The Israeli military’s top spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said at a news conference Monday afternoon: “We examine every response in a very serious matter and maximize every opportunity in the negotiations to secure the release of the hostages as a core mission. ”. But he said that, at the same time, Israeli forces would “continue to operate” in Gaza.
The Israeli army on Monday morning ordered the evacuation of more than 100,000 Palestinians from parts of Rafah. Israeli leaders have vowed for months to invade the city to root out Hamas forces there, raising international concern for the safety of the 1.4 million people sheltering there.
Michael Crowley and Aaron Boxerman contributed with reports.