Israel mounts Rafah
■ HAMAS AGREES TO CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL ■ FEAR OVER IMPACT OF POTENTIAL INVASION
ISRAEL has mounted an air assault on Rafah in Gaza despite Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire deal as Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the proposal was “far from Israel’s essential demands”.
The move came hours after Hamas announced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, which could end seven months of war in Gaza.
However, it’s uncertain whether a deal had been sealed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the proposal was “far from Israel’s essential demands,” but that it would nonetheless send negotiators to continue talks on a ceasefire agreement.
It is not clear whether the deal would meet Hamas’s key demand of bringing about an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal.
Hamas said in a statement that its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister.
After the release of the statement, Palestinians had erupted in cheers in the sprawling tent camps around Rafah, hoping the deal meant an Israeli attack had been averted.
Earlier Monday, Israel’s military said it ordered around 100,000 people to evacuate Rafah, signaling the longpromised ground invasion could be imminent. Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold. The United States says it opposes a Rafah invasion unless Israel provides a “credible” plan for protecting civilians there.
More than a million people in Rafah are huddled in tents and overcrowded apartments after fleeing Israel’s military offensive in other parts of the territory. The war in Gaza has driven around 80% of the territory’s population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused vast destruction throughout several cities. The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.
Alarm
Israel’s closest allies, including the US, have repeatedly said that Israel should not attack Rafah, and the looming operation has raised global alarm over the fate of around 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there.
Aid agencies have warned that an offensive will worsen Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe and bring a surge of more civilian deaths
U.S. President Joe Biden spoke yesterday with Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated U.S. concerns about an invasion of Rafah. Biden said that a cease-fire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, a National Security Council spokesperson said on condition of anonymity to discuss the call before an official White House statement was released.
Hamas and key mediator Qatar said