Hamas says it has informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that it has accepted their proposal for a new ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release agreement with Israel.
“The ball is now in Israel’s court,” said an official from the Palestinian group.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas’ proposal was “far from Israel’s basic requirements” but negotiators would continue discussions.
The basis of the agreement is a weeks-long pause in fighting and the release of several dozen hostages held by Hamas.
Hamas’ announcement came hours after the Israeli military told Palestinians to evacuate the eastern parts of Rafah as they appeared to be preparing for a long-threatened attack on Hamas strongholds in the southern Gaza city.
Tens of thousands of residents are believed to have been affected by the operation and many were seen crammed into vehicles or donkey carts on Monday.
A Hamas official called the evacuation order, followed by Israeli airstrikes, a “dangerous escalation.”
On Monday evening, Hamas released a statement saying that its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had informed Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief of its “approval of its proposal regarding a cease-and-desist agreement. -fire”.
A senior Palestinian official familiar with the proposal told the BBC that Hamas agreed to end “forever hostile activity” if the conditions were met.
That phrase suggested that Hamas could be contemplating an end to its armed struggle, although no further details were provided. It would reach the conclusion of a two-phase ceasefire agreement, with each phase lasting 42 days.
The first phase would include the release of Israeli female soldiers held hostage each in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, including some serving life sentences.
During this period, Israeli troops would remain inside Gaza. But 11 days after the ceasefire came into force, Israel would begin dismantling its military installations in the center of the territory and withdraw from the Salah al-Din road, which is the main north-south route, and the coastal.
After 11 days, displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return to the north.
The second phase would end with a “long period of sustainable calm” and the total lifting of the blockade on Gaza, according to the official.
“The ball is now in the court of [Israel]whether it will agree to the ceasefire agreement or whether it will obstruct it,” a senior Hamas official told the AFP news agency.
There were celebrations in Gaza as news of Hamas’ statement spread.
But an unnamed Israeli official quickly told Reuters news agency that the proposal Hamas accepted was a “softened” version of an Egyptian proposal that included “far-reaching” conclusions that Israel could not accept.
“This would appear to be a ploy designed to make Israel appear to be the side refusing a deal,” the official said.
Later, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said in a statement: “Even if Hamas’ proposal is far from Israel’s basic requirements, Israel will send a delegation of mediators to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement on conditions acceptable to Israel”.
At the same time, Israel’s war cabinet decided to continue Operation Rafah “to exert military pressure on Hamas to advance our war objectives: the release of our hostages, destroy Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities, and ensure that Gaza cannot poses a threat to Israel in the future,” he added.
The statement came at the same time the Israeli military announced it was attacking Hamas targets in eastern Rafah.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that the US – which is trying to broker a deal with Qatar and Egypt – was reviewing Hamas’ response and “discussing it with our partners.”
“We continue to believe that a hostage agreement is in the interests of the Israeli people. It is in the interest of the Palestinian people,” she added.
“This would bring an immediate ceasefire. It would allow for a greater movement of humanitarian assistance and so we will continue to work to try to reach a ceasefire.”
The war began when Hamas gunmen invaded southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
More than 34,700 people were killed in Gaza during the ensuing Israeli military campaign, according to the territory’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
A deal agreed in November allowed Hamas to release 105 hostages in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and around 240 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Israel says 128 hostages remain missing in Gaza, at least 34 of whom are believed dead.
