LIVE – Israel believes that the proposal accepted by Hamas “is far from Israeli demands”

In Rafah, a town on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip where the army had urged residents of certain neighborhoods on Monday morning to leave the town in preparation for an Israeli military operation, Hamas’ announcement was greeted with scenes of jubilation and shots in the air. People rejoice and thank God, reported an AFP correspondent on site, “people are crying with joy and there are shots in the air in celebration”.

A resident, Nour al-Fara, 56, told AFP that the announcement of the ceasefire had “filled with joy”. “I knelt down to thank God, especially because we had been in such anxiety since this morning, packing our things to get ready to leave. But we never stopped praying”. Hamas’ announcement “does not mean that the ceasefire is in force, as the Israeli side has not communicated its position”underlined another Hamas official interviewed by AFP.