Hamas’s acceptance of a Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar did not stop Israel from continuing its military operation in Rafah, even as Jerusalem agreed to send a delegation to Cairo to discuss the deal.
“The war cabinet decided Israel will continue its operation in Rafah, in order to apply military pressure on Hamas so as to advance the release of our hostages and achieve the other objectives of the war,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“While the Hamas proposal is far from meeting Israel's core demands, Israel will dispatch a ranking delegation to Egypt in an effort to maximize the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office added.
US National Security Communication Advisor John Kirby confirmed for reporters in Washington that Hamas had accepted a proposal, that the Biden administration was studying.
CIA Director William Burns “is looking at that response. He’s talking to the Israelis about it, and we’ll see where this goes,” Kirby said.
“Hopefully, whatever is in this thing... can lead to those hostages getting out real soon with their families, where they need to be” given that “each new day passes, their lives get further at risk. So time is really of the essence here.”
'A watered-down version of an Egyptian offer'
An official briefed on the ceasefire talks said that Hamas agreed to the latest proposal made by Israel on April 27, and there have been no major changes since then.
The Qatari mediators had spoken to Hamas about this on Sunday and Monday, the source stated.
“What happens next depends on Israel,” the source said, adding that, “The ball is in Israel’s court.”
The deal Hamas agreed to, however, was not one seen or approved by Israel and was a modified version of a framework that had been under discussion in Cairo.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposal that Hamas had accepted was a watered-down version of an Egyptian offer and included elements that Israel could not accept.
“This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal,” said the Israeli official.
Hamas’s statement comes after intense negotiations in Cairo on Sunday involving Egyptian and Qatari delegations along with CIA director William Burns. He then traveled to Doha to consult with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani and is expected to visit Israel this week.
An American source told The Jerusalem Post on Monday: “Essentially, the talks fell through, they were on life support, which is what prompted Bill Burns to get on a plane and go to Qatar.
“Both the Americans and the Qataris, in a display of shared responsibility, engaged in heavy pressure and diplomacy, striving to breathe life back into the framework of an agreement.” The American source further emphasized that we are at a very delicate and sensitive point in time, underscoring the mutual understanding of the situation.
“The Americans and the Qataris are keeping pressure on both sides to build the framework that has been agreed upon.”
Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official and adviser to Haniyeh, told Reuters that the proposal met the group’s demands, including reconstruction efforts in Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians, and a swap of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The Hamas deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil Al-Hayya, told Al Jazeera television that the proposal included three phases, each of six weeks, with Israel to pull its troops out of Gaza in the second phase.
In the first phase, lasting 42 days, Hamas would release 33 hostages and Israel would partially withdraw troops from Gaza while allowing Palestinians to return from the south to the north.
In the second phase, lasting 42 days, there would be an agreement to restore sustainable calm to Gaza, which would include a withdrawal of most of the IDF troops.
Phase three would see a complete exchange of remaining hostages, including those who are deceased, along with the implementation of a reconstruction plan overseen by Qatar, Egypt, and the United Nations. Israel would also lift its restrictions on the entry of goods into the enclave
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the international community on Monday to pressure Israel to commit to a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza mediated by Egypt and Qatar, Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.
Just before Hamas’s announcement on Monday, US President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for half an hour.
In their call, Biden updated Netanyahu “on efforts to secure a hostage deal, including through ongoing talks today in Doha, Qatar,” the White House stated.
“The Prime Minister agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance for those in need,” and “the President reiterated his clear position on Rafah,” the White House explained.
At issue had been Hamas’s insistence on a permanent ceasefire, with Israel insisting it could only accept a pause to the war because it was determined to conduct a military operation in Rafah to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there.
Earlier on Monday, the IDF began to evacuate Palestinians from Rafah, prompting a massive international outcry.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on X that “Israel’s evacuation orders to civilians in Rafah portend the worst: more war and famine. It is unacceptable.
“Israel must renounce” its “ground offensive,” he stated, adding that the EU and the international community can and “must act to prevent such a scenario.”
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna stressed on X her country’s opposition to the Rafah operation, explaining that French President Emmanuel Macron had explained this to Netanyahu when the two spoke on Sunday.
The French Foreign Ministry told reporters that the “forced displacement of a civilian population constitutes a war crime under international law.”
Belgian Vice Premier Petra De Sutter warned that a Rafah “invasion will lead to a massacre.”
“Belgium is working on further sanctions against [Israel],” she wrote in a post on X.
De Sutter has been a fierce and early critic of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza that began on October 7, calling already in November for sanctions against the Jewish state.
The international community, including the United States, fears a Rafah operation would lead to a humanitarian disaster for the over 1.3 million Palestinians located there, many of whom sought shelter there to escape Israeli bombardments in northern Gaza at the start of the war.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is the main organization that services Palestinian refugees, wrote on X that “an Israeli offensive in #Rafah would mean more civilian suffering [and] deaths. The consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people.”
UNRWA “is not evacuating” Palestinians from Rafah, it stressed, adding that “Agency will maintain a presence in Rafah as long as possible [and[ will continue providing lifesaving aid to people.”
Kirby said that “the President was very direct and consistent on this topic” and had spoken of it in his conversation with Netanyahu.
“We don’t want to see major ground operations in Rafah that put these people at greater risk,” Kirby said.
Reuters and Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.