“No ceasefire agreement reached in Gaza,” says Israeli official

Israel downplayed the likelihood of a ceasefire in Gaza on Monday, after Hamas said it had accepted a proposal from mediators, even as residents fled the city of Rafah in fear of an Israeli attack.

The last-minute moves toward a ceasefire came as Israeli forces attacked Rafah, on the southern tip of Gaza, and ordered residents to leave parts of the city, which has served as the last refuge for more than a million Gazans. displaced.

Hamas said in a brief statement that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that the group accepted their ceasefire proposal.

The Israeli military said that all proposals that would allow the release of hostages held in Gaza would be considered, although for now its operations would continue in parallel.

“This would appear to be a ploy designed to make Israel appear to be the side refusing a deal,” said the Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

An official briefed on the peace talks, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said, however, that the offer Hamas accepted was effectively the same as the one agreed to in late April by Israel.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington would discuss Hamas’ response with its allies in the coming hours and that an agreement was “absolutely achievable.”

“We want to get these hostages out, we want to establish a six-week ceasefire, we want to increase humanitarian assistance,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby, adding that reaching an agreement would be “absolutely the best outcome ”.

RAFAH HIT BY STRIKES

Any truce would be the first lull in fighting since a weeklong ceasefire in November, during which Hamas freed about half the hostages its fighters captured in the Oct. 7 attack that precipitated the war.

RAFAH HIT BY STRIKES

Any truce would be the first lull in fighting since a weeklong ceasefire in November, during which Hamas freed about half the hostages its fighters captured in the Oct. 7 attack that precipitated the war.

RAFAH HIT BY STRIKES

Any truce would be the first lull in fighting since a weeklong ceasefire in November, during which Hamas freed about half the hostages its fighters captured in the Oct. 7 attack that precipitated the war.

Since then, all efforts to reach a new truce have failed due to Hamas’ refusal to release more hostages without a promise of a permanent end to the conflict, and Israel’s insistence on discussing only a temporary pause.

Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official and adviser to Haniyeh, told Reuters the proposal met the group’s demands, including reconstruction efforts in Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. .

The deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, told Al Jazeera television that the proposal included three phases, each lasting six weeks, with Israel withdrawing its troops from Gaza in the second phase.

On Monday morning, Israel ordered the evacuation of parts of Rafah, the city on Gaza’s southern tip that served as the last sanctuary for about half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

Asked during a press conference whether Hamas saying it accepted a ceasefire proposal would have an impact on a planned offensive on Rafah, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “We have examined all responses and responses in the most serious manner and we are exhausting all the possibilities regarding negotiations and the return of the hostages.”

“In parallel, we are still operating in the Gaza Strip and will continue to do so,” he said.

Israel’s closest ally, the United States, has called on the country not to attack Rafah, saying it must not do so without a comprehensive plan to protect civilians there, which has not yet been presented.

Israel said on Monday it was conducting limited operations in the eastern part of Rafah, following a rocket attack claimed by Hamas fighters that killed four Israeli soldiers at the main border crossing into Rafah the previous day.

“We asked civilians to move away from danger. We have been extremely specific about the areas we will attack…” said government spokesman David Mencer.

Israeli shelling of the eastern areas of Rafah continued throughout the day on Monday.

“They have been shooting since last night and today, after the evacuation orders, the shelling has become more intense because they want to scare us into leaving,” Jaber Abu Nazly, a 40-year-old father of two, told Reuters via a chat app.

“Some families have already left, others wonder if there is any safe place in all of Gaza,” he added.

Overnight, Israeli planes struck 10 homes, killing 20 people, Palestinian medical officials said. The Israeli military said it had reached the site in Rafah from where the previous day’s rocket was fired at its troops.

Instructed by text messages, phone calls and leaflets in Arabic to move to what the Israeli military called an “extended humanitarian zone” about 20 km away, some Palestinian families began to move away under a cold rain of Spring.

Some piled children and belongings into donkey carts, while others left in pickup trucks or on foot through muddy streets.

Abdullah Al-Najar said this was the fourth time he had been displaced since fighting began seven months ago as families dismantled tents and folded belongings.

“God knows where we will go now. We haven’t decided yet.”

Nick Maynard, a British surgeon trying to leave Gaza on Monday, said in a voicemail from the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing into Egypt: “Two huge bombs have just exploded immediately outside the crossing. There is also a lot of gunfire about 100 meters away from us and we are not sure if we will get out.”

“Driving through Rafah, the tension was palpable, with people evacuating as quickly as they could.”

Reporting from the Reuters offices, written by Sharon Singleton and edited by Peter Graff.