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Hamas leader informs mediators of ceasefire acceptance
A leading Hamas source tells Al Jazeera that the group has informed Egyptian and Qatari mediators of its agreement with a ceasefire proposal.
“The mujahid brother Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas movement’s political bureau, had a phone call with the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and with the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence, Abbas Kamel, and informed them of the Hamas movement’s approval of their proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement.”
No response yet from Israel
A Hamas official has said that the “ball [is] now in Israel’s court”, and that’s where this proposed ceasefire now stands, with no response yet from the Israeli government.
Israel had emphasised in recent days that it was not on the same page as Hamas with regards to the deal, and instead made clear that it planned to invade Rafah, in southern Gaza.
And as Palestinians spontaneously celebrate on the streets of Gaza, everything now rests on what Israel’s response will be.
Cheering Palestinians react to news of ceasefire agreement
Displaced Palestinians are ecstatic after hearing that Hamas has agreed to a deal for a ceasefire, especially after fearing an imminent ground offensive on Rafah.
“We hope Allah will facilitate this and we can return to our homes,” a man from Gaza City in the northern part of the enclave told Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum in Rafah. “All praise be to Allah that they didn’t invade Rafah,” a Palestinian boy said. “We would like to thank all those who stood by our side and stood by Gaza.”
“We want a political solution, not just a military solution,” another Palestinian said. “For that, we must struggle to have independence from the Israeli occupation and to stop the aggression in both Gaza and the West Bank.”
“We want to see the international community stop Israel’s escalation on the Gaza Strip,” he continued. “We want to go back to our houses. Our families are very sad, but this evening after this announcement ,we see the majority of our people happy.”
Israeli official indicates rejection of ceasefire proposal: Report
An unnamed Israeli official quoted by the Reuters news agency says Hamas has approved a “softened” Egyptian proposal that is not acceptable to Israel. The official added that the proposal included “far-reaching” conclusions that Israel will not support.
Israeli media outlets are also reporting that the Israeli government has not accepted the deal.
We remind our readers that we do not yet have the specifics of the deal that Hamas has agreed to.
Report: Israel studying Hamas ceasefire response
Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting that the Israeli negotiating team has Hamas’s response from mediators, is studying it, and will issue an official response.
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