By GAZA: An Israeli official stated on Monday that no ceasefire had been reached in Gaza, countering Hamas’s claim of accepting a proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
According to the Israeli official, the proposal accepted by Hamas was a “softened” version of an Egyptian proposal, containing “far-reaching” conclusions that Israel could not agree to.
The official, speaking anonymously, remarked, “This would seem to be a tactic aimed at portraying Israel as the party rejecting a settlement.”
Earlier, Hamas announced through a brief statement that its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had relayed to Qatari and Egyptian mediators the group’s acceptance of their ceasefire proposal, although no specifics of the agreement were provided.
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Since a week-long pause in fighting in November, there has been no successful ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The Hamas declaration of acceptance came shortly after Israel ordered the evacuation of parts of Rafah, the city on Gaza’s southern border, serving as a haven for about half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
