The Hamas proposal is far from satisfying Israel’s demands

UPDATE Israeli tanks advanced near Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt, according to reports / Israel’s operation is limited

Israeli tanks entered Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and advanced to within 200 meters of the crossing point with Egypt, according to reports.

An Egyptian official said the operation appears to be of limited scope, according to the Associated Press.

The official and Al-Aqsa TV said that Israeli officials had informed the Egyptians that the troops would withdraw after the operation was completed.

A US official said the US is “concerned” by Israel’s latest strikes on Rafah, but “does not believe they represent a major military operation”, according to a Reuters report.

US officials are focused on preventing major military operations targeting the “densely populated” areas of Rafah, the source added, and that “it doesn’t appear that the Israelis are doing that.”

Younis Tirawi, a reporter from Gaza, posted on X that Israeli tanks had been seen firing on neighborhoods in Rafah in recent hours and that casualties had been reported.

Israel urges evacuation of Rafah as attacks continue

As strikes continue in Rafah, Israeli forces have asked Palestinians to evacuate the city. At a press conference, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Gazans had been urged to move to an “extended humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi and Khan Yunis” – about 10 km to the north .

He said: “Tonight, we also urge those staying in specific areas that we have communicated and defined through all means – radio, media, internet and leaflets” in east Rafah to leave.

Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas in Gaza and is full of displaced civilians.

The prospect of an Israeli invasion has sparked a wave of international protests, with foreign leaders urging Netanyahu not to continue the offensive.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees declared that the consequences would be devastating for over one million people.

What we know so far

• The Israeli army announced on Monday that it is currently carrying out targeted strikes against targets belonging to the Islamist group Hamas in the eastern part of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, reports Ari Rabinovitch.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his war cabinet had approved the continuation of an operation in Rafah to increase pressure on Hamas to free Israeli hostages and achieve the country’s other war objectives.
• At the same time, even if Hamas’ latest truce proposal does not meet Israel’s requirements, Israel will send a delegation to meet with negotiators to try to reach an acceptable agreement, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
• Israeli minister, about the operation in Rafah: “The operation in Rafah – part of the effort to return the kidnapped”.
• The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad says it fired rockets from Gaza into southern Israel in response to Israeli airstrikes on the Strip.
• Reports indicate massive infrastructure damage in Rafah, many buildings destroyed.
• Senior US on CNN: What Hamas agreed to is different from what Egypt/Israel presented last week. This includes a permanent end to hostilities, which is a red line for Netanyahu

Israel carries out targeted strikes in eastern Rafah

Israeli media claim that dozens of Palestinians are trying to break through and cross the border into Egypt, while Israeli tanks entered Rafah.

The Israeli military said it is currently carrying out targeted strikes against Hamas in the region, according to reports.

Palestinian reports: “Tanks entered East Rafah”

IDF armored vehicles “crossed the border fence in the Kerem Shalom area and are advancing into neighborhoods east of the Rafah suburbs,” according to Palestinian reports, it was also reported that “houses were blown up in the al-Shukka area in around the Rafah crossing, east of the city.”

Tank firing and artillery bombardment from time to time in the area.”

Sources on the ground in Rafah report that Israeli aircraft and artillery are “burning” several areas of suspected Hamas tunnels and bunkers in the east of the city, with tank fire now being heard.

Netanyahu: The Hamas proposal is far from satisfying Israel’s demands

The Hamas truce proposal is far from satisfying Israel’s demands, says Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking about the latest announcement, the Israeli leader says that Israel will send a delegation to negotiate with Hamas.

He also says that the war cabinet has decided that Israel will continue its operation in Rafah.

UPDATE

IDF Spokesperson: IDF forces are now attacking and operating against targets of the terrorist organization Hamas in a targeted manner in Mizrah Rafah.

The Israeli press reports that the Armored Columns of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) enter Rafah.

Gaza Channels: The IDF is currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terrorist targets in East Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli media quotes a Palestinian report: “We hear the sounds of convoys of vehicles moving east towards Rafah.” Israeli tanks and mechanized infantry crossed the border fence from southern Israel into the Gaza Strip east of Rafah.

Clashes break out in Tel Aviv between demonstrators demanding an exchange agreement and Israeli police.

UPDATE

Office of the Prime Minister: “The War Cabinet unanimously decided that Israel should continue the Rafah operation to exert military pressure on Hamas to promote the release of our hostages and other war targets.

At the same time, although the Hamas proposal is far from the necessary demands of Israel, Israel will send a delegation of working class mediators to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel.

UPDATE

The foreign ministers of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates say that “the available opportunity must not be wasted” to reach a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Reuters reports.

UPDATE

Families of Israeli prisoners and detainees: “We welcome Hamas’ announcement of progress in the ceasefire, which will accelerate the return of 132 abductees.”

The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, calls on all parties to make more efforts to reach an agreement in Gaza in a statement, according to Reuters.

An official briefed on the talks says the Hamas deal is the latest proposal made by Israel on April 27, without changes to major elements, writes Reuters. Israeli officials said the proposal accepted by Hamas was “very different” from the framework established by the Israeli delegation in Cairo and that Hamas did not accept the initial agreement.

Haaretz: “The proposal approved by Hamas is similar to the proposal approved by Israel, and the ball is now in Netanyahu’s court.”

NBC, according to a senior Biden administration official: “White House reviews Hamas response to cease-fire proposal.” Washington is urging Israel not to launch an attack in Rafah after Hamas responded to the ceasefire proposal.

UPDATE

US Department of State says a military operation in Rafah now would dramatically disrupt the delivery of humanitarian assistance. At the same time, the same department says that the US cannot support the Rafah operation as planned by Israel, and a truce between Hamas and Israel is “absolutely feasible”. “We will discuss with Egypt, Qatar and Israel the response of Hamas to the ceasefire proposal”, writes Reuters. “We are aware of Hamas’ response to the proposed agreement and we are consulting with our partners in the region in this regard.”

US Department of State: “We received Hamas’ response a short time ago and we will work to discuss it with our partners.”

UPDATE

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: “I call on all Western parties to put pressure on the Israeli administration for a cease-fire in Gaza.” He says he spoke by phone with Hamas leader Haniyeh about Hamas’s decision to accept a cease-fire in Gaza.

The Hamas source told Al Arabiya: “We have agreed to a document that includes a permanent ceasefire and a complete lifting of the siege.”

Israeli Channel 12: The Israeli negotiating team received Hamas’s response from the mediators and is studying it in order to respond officially.

“The cease-fire proposal is an agreement in three phases, each of which is 42 days,” said the deputy head of Hamas in Gaza, according to Reuters. The three-stage proposal calls for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops, as well as an exchange of hostages, Hamas says.

Initial news

Hamas said it approved the ceasefire proposal presented by Egypt and Qatar, writes Reuters.

After accepting the Gaza ceasefire proposal, a Hamas official added that “the ball is now in the court” of Israel, which has the choice “either to accept the ceasefire agreement or to prevent it”.

However, Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to launch a ground offensive in Rafah regardless of the outcome of indirect talks led by Qatar, the United States and Egypt aimed at imposing a ceasefire linked to the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. .

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the deal, and details of the proposal have not yet been made public, The Guardian writes, citing AP.

A little earlier, the Israeli prime minister promised to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, regardless of the outcome of indirect negotiations led by Qatar, the United States and Egypt.