Netanyahu says the agreement accepted by Hamas “does not respect the demands” of Israel and that the Rafah operation will continue

UPDATE 22:50 Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israel will not end its operation in Rafah despite Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire. According to him, the war cabinet decided to continue the campaign, in an effort to put pressure on Hamas to release the hostages.

The Israeli prime minister also stated that the agreement accepted by Hamas “does not comply with the demands” of Israel, but that he would send a delegation for new negotiations.

Meanwhile, Israeli shelling continues in Rafah despite the announcement of new negotiations by the Israeli government.

UPDATE 22:25 The Israeli army began intensively bombarding the east of the city of Rafah. The shots have been continuous for about 30 minutes, according to reporters in the area.

The Israeli army reiterated, on Monday evening, the evacuation call launched in the morning for the residents of the eastern neighborhoods of the city of Rafah, stating that this evacuation is a prelude to a “ground” operation in this locality that has become a refuge for over a million Palestinians on the southern edge of The Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government has not yet made any clarification regarding the possible acceptance of the truce already agreed to by Hamas.

UPDATE 21:07 Turkish President Erdogan welcomed Hamas’ decision to accept the truce deal and said he hoped Israel would also accept it.

According to Reuters, Erdogan called on Western countries to put pressure on Israel to accept the armistice agreement.

Ankara’s reaction comes amid icy relations with Israel and after Turkey suspended trade relations with the country.

UPDATE 21:00 According to information provided by the BBC and Reuters, the agreement accepted by Hamas is one modified by the Egyptians to be less harsh and would not be acceptable to Israel.

The Netanyahu government announced a short time ago that it was informed of Hamas’ decision and that it was evaluating the truce agreement.

According to Reuters, an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity that the agreement has clauses with “long-term impact” that Israel does not agree to.

According to a Hamas official, the agreement would also include provisions related to the reconstruction of Gaza, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war and prisoner exchanges.

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Original news:

The political leadership of the terrorist group Hamas announced on Monday that it has accepted the terms of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the BBC reports. The deal was negotiated by mediators from Qatar and Egypt, and Hamas said it had informed the two countries’ diplomats of its decision. Israel has not yet commented on the Hamas announcement, and there is no word yet on whether Netanyahu will in turn accept the ceasefire.

The announcement by Hamas’ political wing comes hours after Israel asked Palestinians to begin evacuating the southern Gaza Strip in anticipation of the weeks-long Israeli military operation in Rafah.

Hamas’s announcement led to cheers and cheers in Rafah from the local population.

Details related to this armistice agreement have not been made public yet. In recent days, however, Egyptian diplomats and Hamas officials have said the truce will be implemented in stages. The terrorist group would release hostages in exchange for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Editor: Adrian Dumitru