Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire and Israel is seeking to negotiate terms

group Palestinian Hamas This Monday he pledged to accept the ceasefire proposal put forward by Egypt and Qatar, But still Israel He clarified that this is “far from the demands” put forward by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. anyway, They will send representatives to negotiate.

In a statement, the Islamic League’s leader said, Ismail HaniyehHe told the Prime Minister Qatar and Chief of Intelligence Egypt That he accepted his plan.

After nearly seven months of fighting, residents of Rafah celebrated Hamas’ announcement in the streets, amid cries of joy, chants of “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) and gunfire into the sky.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office pointed out that the plan is “far from Israel’s essential demands,” but the government will send a delegation to mediators to “exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement.”

War in Gaza: Terms of ceasefire accepted by Hamas

Jalil al-Hayya, a senior official of the Palestinian Islamic Movement, told Al Jazeera. The proposal consists of three phasesEach lasts 42 days.

In this A Complete withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza StripHe Return of Displaced Persons and A Hostage exchange They are still held captive by Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. A “Permanent Armistice”.

Hamas announced in a statement that its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had notified Egypt and Qatar of the move “endorsed his proposal for a cease-fire agreement” in Gaza.

“The ball is now in Israel’s court,” a Hamas official said on condition of anonymity.

It was the first ceasefire in Gaza since a week-long ceasefire in November

If the deal goes into effect, it would be the first cease-fire since months of failed attempts to stop the fighting to free the hostages, after a week-long standoff in November. Loop.

It is feared that ceasefire talks will happen Cairo Then it stalls Izzat al-RashikOfficer HamasHe warned that any Israeli action in Rafah would jeopardize the ceasefire talks.

City, south end Gaza StripIt is the last refuge for about half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, driven south by a seven-month Israeli offensive.

For his part, an Israeli official called for a ceasefire Hamas He said he accepted a “watered down” version of an Egyptian proposal that included “far-reaching” decisions. Israel Unacceptable.

“This appears to be a ploy to make Israel appear to be reneging on a deal,” said the Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

War in Gaza: Israel resumes bombing of Rafah

After the announcement of the Islamic movement, the The Israeli army carried out a heavy bombardment of Rafah. A “limited operation to temporarily evacuate residents in the eastern part” of the city began in the morning.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari reiterated the call for an evacuation of the area and announced on Monday that “Israeli aircraft struck more than 50 terrorist targets in the Rafah area.”

The evacuation is part of “preparation for a ground operation in the area,” according to a military spokesman, involving “about 100,000 people,” Hagari added.

A representative of the Palestinian Red Cross in East Rafah said “Terrified, people are leaving in panic”The Israeli military estimates that the designated area affects about 250,000 people.

The international community has not stopped showing its concern over the invasion of Rafa, Israel deems it necessary “Destroy the last four battalions” of the Islamist movement in the Palestinian territories.

The city on the border with Egypt is home to over 1.2 million people, according to the UN.