Israel began its military operation in Rafah in the souther Gaza Strip Monday, after Hamas had attacked the humanitarian aid location. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it is “currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah,” according to a military statement.
Strikes began soon after the Israeli war cabinet voted unanimously to continue with the Rafah operation while sending a delegation to work on a cease-fire proposal that Israel can agree on, according to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Hamas had allegedly announced it accepted a Gaza cease-fire deal hours prior, but Israeli officials say it was a “Hamas deception.”
“Although the Hamas proposal is far from Israel’s necessary requirements, Israel will send a delegation of working-class mediators to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement under conditions acceptable to Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said.
Earlier Monday, Hamas announced that its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had approved of the proposal set forth by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators, saying the “ball [is] now in Israel’s court.” However, Israel said the proposal was not one that was agreed on with the mediators and announced it would examine the version that Hamas accepted.
Israeli officials claim the announcement was a ploy by Hamas to produce an international backlash against Israel for refusing a deal, and according to the New York Post, they told KANN TV that the announcement of a cease-fire agreement was a “Hamas deception.”
National Review reports Hamas’s acceptance of the Egyptian–Qatari proposal comes a day after the terror group walked away from cease-fire negotiations over the length of a potential cease-fire. Hamas demanded a permanent end to the war, while Israel was adamant about only allowing a temporary pause in fighting to free the remaining 100 hostages in Gaza. The cease-fire deal accepted by Hamas reportedly included dead hostages as part of a proposed prisoner swap.
