The discussions seem to have finally borne fruit. Hamas said on Monday that it had approved a ceasefire proposal in Gaza, presented by Egypt and Qatar.
“Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, spoke by telephone with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane Al Thani and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel and informed them that Hamas had approved their proposal for “ceasefire agreement,” according to a statement published on the Palestinian movement’s website. “The ball is now in the court” of Israel, which has the choice “between accepting the ceasefire agreement or obstructing it,” a Hamas official then told AFP under the cover of anonymity.
The content of the proposal was not released and Israel did not immediately comment. Scenes of jubilation and shots in the air took place in the streets of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, where Israel was preparing a major offensive, after Hamas’ announcement.
This announcement comes as the Israeli army launched an operation on Monday aimed at evacuating tens of thousands of families from this city, where there are 1.2 million Palestinians, most of them displaced, according to the UN. Despite international condemnations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu persists in his desire to launch this offensive, essential according to him to destroy the last battalions of the Islamist movement in the Palestinian territory.
It has been several weeks since the Palestinian Islamist movement and Tel Aviv discussed a new agreement, after a first truce which allowed the release of 110 hostages in November. Negotiations have accelerated in recent days, under the aegis of the main mediators, notably Egypt, Qatar and the United States. “We continue to believe that an agreement to release hostages is the best way to preserve the lives of the hostages and avoid an invasion of Rafah, where more than a million people have found refuge,” said Monday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
