The Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says the war cabinet has decided that the country will continue its operation in Rafah, in order to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages.
Earlier Hamas has announced it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal to end the fighting in Gaza hours after Israel ordered about 100,000 Palestinians to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah
In a statement Hamas said
“The mujahid brother Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas movement’s political bureau, had a phone call with the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and with the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence, Abbas Kamel, and informed them of the Hamas movement’s approval of their proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement.”
An unnamed Israeli official quoted by the Reuters news agency says Hamas has approved a “softened” Egyptian proposal that is not acceptable to Israel.
The official added that the proposal included “far-reaching” conclusions that Israel will not support.
The Israeli military said it had established “operational control” over the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip overnight Monday into Tuesday.
Footage broadcast on Israeli media showed an Israeli flag flying on the Gaza side of the crossing,
