Gaza War: Hours after Hamas said on Monday that it was accepting a truce proposal presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Israel announced that no cease-fire had been reached in Gaza. According to a Reuters story, Hamas accepted a “softened” version of an Egyptian proposal that had “far-reaching” findings that Israel did not agree with. “This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal,” the unnamed official was cited as saying in the paper.
Earlier on Monday, Reuters reported that Hamas had accepted a cease-fire proposal from Egyptian and Qatari negotiators.
Israel will continue to act in ‘operational manner’ in Gaza, according to the IDF.
According to an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokeswoman, Israel would continue to engage in a “operational manner” in Gaza, notwithstanding Hamas’s acceptance of the ceasefire agreement.
According to the source, when asked if the truce announcement changes anything, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that Israel is “exploring every single thing we hear”.
“We are exploring every single thing that we hear, and we are exhausting the potential for negotiations and bringing back the hostages, and that is our main mission, to bring them home as soon as possible, but in parallel, we are continuing to act in an operational manner in the Gaza strip, and we will continue to do “So,” Hagari was quoted as saying.
During a media briefing, he also stated that Israeli officials “examine every answer and response in the most serious manner and are exhausting all possibilities regarding negotiations and the return of the hostages.”
The Hamas statement of ceasefire acceptance came hours after Israel issued an order to evacuate areas of Rafah, which houses over half of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million population.
