This Monday, Israel rejected the Hamas ceasefire agreement, a proposal deemed “far from Israeli demands” by the country’s authorities, while adding that Israel would send a delegation “to mediation to exhaust the possibilities of reaching a truce agreement.
This Monday, Israel rejected the Hamas ceasefire agreement, because the proposal was deemed “far from Israeli demands” by the country’s authorities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would send a high-ranking delegation to meet with negotiators to try to reach a deal acceptable to both sides.
The agreement discussed between representatives of Hamas, Qataris, Egyptians and Americans meeting in Cairo provided for a temporary truce as well as a release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel in exchange for that of Israeli hostages.
Hamas, for its part, approved the proposal, an announcement greeted with joy in Rafah by the war-weary population. Mostafa Eliyan, refugee in Rafah, tells “Frankly, we didn’t believe the news. Joy is not natural. I don’t know how to describe what I feel. It’s an extraordinary joy. If Allah wills, everything will go well.”
Just hours after Hamas accepted the deal, Israel launched what it called “targeted strikes” in Rafah where 1.4 million Palestinians are displaced. Earlier in the day, Israeli forces ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians to a “humanitarian zone” in the coastal municipality of al-Mawasi.
The Israeli war cabinet says it is determined to launch a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah in order to eliminate Hamas battalions based there. These plans have been the subject of strong criticism from the international community.
The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, spoke on this subject “Today’s evacuation orders for East Rafah will only worsen the suffering of civilians. They are being asked to resettle in Al-Mawasi, which is already overcrowded and lacks security and essential humanitarian services. A mass evacuation of this scale is impossible to carry out safely.”
Meanwhile, protests for the release of the hostages continue in Tel Aviv.
