Israel Says No Ceasefire Deal After Hamas Says It Accepted Gaza Truce Proposal: Report

Gaza Truce: Hamas initially announced acceptance of an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, but Israel denies any deal, claiming the proposal included "far-reaching" conclusions unacceptable to Israel.

Gaza: Displaced Palestinians are arriving in Khan Yunis with their belongings from Rafah on May 6, 2024, following an evacuation order by Israel.

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Gaza War: Hours after Hamas said Monday it was accepting a truce proposal extended by mediators from Egypt and Qatar, Israel said no ceasefire had been agreed on the Gaza situation. Quoting an Israeli official, a Reuters report said what Hamas accepted was a "softened" version of a proposal from Egypt that included "far-reaching" conclusions unacceptable to Israel. "This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal," the unnamed official was quoted as saying in the report.

Earlier on Monday, as reported by Reuters, Hamas said it had accepted a ceasefire proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. In a statement, the outfit said its chief Ismail Haniyeh had told Qatar Prime Minister and Egypt's intelligence chief that it was accepting their proposal. No further details were available about the agreement.

Israel Will Continue To Act In 'Operational Manner' In Gaza: IDF

Quoting an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, a report in The Guardian said Israel would continue to act in an “operational manner” in Gaza though Hamas said it accepted the ceasefire deal.

Asked if the ceasefire announcement changes anything, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel was “exploring every single thing we hear”, according to the report. 

"We are exploring every single thing that we hear and we are exhausting the potential about negotiations and bringing back the hostages and that is our main mission, to bring them home as quickly 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 said Israel officials “examine every answer and response in the most seriously manner and are exhausting every possibility regarding negotiations and returning the hostages". 

The Hamas announcement of ceasefire acceptance came hours after Israel issued an order to evacuate parts of Rafah, which is hosting around half of the 2.3 million residents of Gaza Strip.

Israel had a 90-day plan to invade Rafah, which it intends to proceed with, Reuters quoted a US official as saying Monday. The US has said it is committed to stopping Israel from going ahead with the plan.

“Netanyahu and the war cabinet have not appeared to approach the latest phase of negotiations (with Hamas) in good faith,” the official who is familiar with the negotiations between Israel and Hamas, told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.