Hamas said on Monday, May 6, that it had informed Egypt and Qatar that it accepted their proposal for a ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip devastated by seven months of war.
“Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, spoke by telephone with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane Al Thani and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel and informed them that Hamas had approved their proposal for “ceasefire agreement”, according to a statement published on the Palestinian movement’s website.
Scenes of joy and shots in the air in Rafah
“The ball is now in the court” of Israel, which has the choice “between accepting the ceasefire agreement or obstructing it,” a Hamas official subsequently declared on condition of anonymity. . An Israeli official said immediately that Israel was “examining” the ceasefire proposal. “I can confirm that Hamas has issued a response. We are reviewing this response and discussing it with our partners in the region,” said Matthew Miller, spokesman for the Hamas Department. American state. Israel, at war with Hamas since October 7, did not immediately react officially to this Hamas announcement.
Scenes of joy and shots in the air greeted in Rafah, a town on the southern edge of the besieged Gaza Strip on which Israel is planning a major military offensive, the announcement by Hamas that it had accepted a ceasefire proposal.
Indirect negotiations led by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, aimed at achieving a truce associated with the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, began on Saturday in Cairo but ended on Sunday without advanced. Hamas demanded a definitive ceasefire while Israel said it was determined to destroy the Palestinian movement in power in Gaza since 2007, considered a terrorist organization by this country, the United States and the European Union.
Israel has promised to destroy the Islamist movement in power in Gaza since 2007, committing an unprecedented attack on its soil on October 7, which sparked the war. Despite international condemnations, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, promised to launch this offensive on Rafah, essential according to him to destroy the last battalions of the Islamist movement in the Palestinian territory. On Monday evening, the Israeli army confirmed that the evacuation of Rafah was preparing for a “land” operation.