{"id":22670,"date":"2024-05-07T10:21:12","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T07:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=22670"},"modified":"2024-05-10T02:52:14","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T23:52:14","slug":"gaza-ceasefire-remains-uncertain-hamas-accepts-truce-proposal-but-israel-pushes-ahead-with-rafah-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/gaza-ceasefire-remains-uncertain-hamas-accepts-truce-proposal-but-israel-pushes-ahead-with-rafah-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza ceasefire remains uncertain, Hamas accepts truce proposal but Israel pushes ahead with Rafah attack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>The Palestinian militant group Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt for a truce in the seven-month Gaza war. Israel, however, rejected the terms, saying the proposal falls short of its demands and vows to proceed with its planned Rafah offensive.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a document, the ceasefire proposal consists of three stages and aims to conclude Israel&#8217;s military campaign in Gaza, along with facilitating the release of Israeli prisoners held in the enclave and Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hamas said in a brief statement on May 6, 2024, that its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, had informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that the group accepted their proposal for a ceasefire. Qatar&#8217;s foreign ministry said its delegation will head to Cairo to resume indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hamas\u2019s&nbsp;announcement about accepting the ceasefire terms met with celebrations in Gaza as Palestinians hoped it would finally bring an end to a nearly&nbsp;seven-month-long war in which Israel has killed at least 34,700 people&nbsp;in the Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BREAKING<\/a> \u270c\ufe0f Despite waiting for the Israeli side to approve the ceasefire proposal, thousands of Palestinians in the city of Rafah are experiencing moments of joy and hope for the end of the war on Gaza. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Sj8DfzL60e\">pic.twitter.com\/Sj8DfzL60e<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/gazanotice\/status\/1787540846885081478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 6, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Key points from the three-phase ceasefire deal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The proposed agreement is complex, comprising three phases, each spanning six weeks or 42 days. The guarantors of the agreement include Qatar, Egypt, the United States, and the United Nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Phase 1:<\/strong> During the initial phase, hostilities between Hamas and Israel would temporarily cease. Israel would withdraw to the eastern regions of Gaza, away from densely populated areas, and toward the border with the Palestinian enclave. Israeli aerial activity over Gaza would halt for 10 hours daily, extending to 12 hours progressively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hamas would release 33 captives and the remains of deceased captives. Those released would primarily include women, individuals over 50, and non-combatant youths under 19. Israel, in turn, would release 30 Palestinians for each Israeli captive freed alive. Moreover, for each female Israeli soldier released by Hamas, Israel would release 50 Palestinians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, the agreement specifies that reconstruction efforts in Gaza must commence during the first phase, alongside the provision of aid. Furthermore, UNRWA and other relief organizations would be permitted to operate to assist civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Phase 2:<\/strong> During the second phase of the agreement, military operations would cease permanently, accompanied by a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Another prisoner exchange would occur, this time encompassing all remaining Israeli males, including soldiers detained in Gaza. In exchange, an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners would be released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Phase 3:<\/strong> The third phase would entail the exchange of captive remains and prisoners held by both parties. Additionally, this stage would introduce a reconstruction plan spanning three to five years for Gaza. Perhaps most notably, it would mark the complete end of the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Israel criticizes terms of ceasefire but continues talks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Israel\u2019s response to the ceasefire talks has been less enthusiastic, as it continued to emphasize its desire to attack Rafah in southern Gaza and to completely defeat Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#8217;s office remarked that the ceasefire proposal did not meet Israel&#8217;s requirements. However, Israel expressed willingness to dispatch a delegation to meet with negotiators in Cairo to achieve a consensus. \u201cAlthough the Hamas proposal is far from Israel\u2019s necessary requirements, Israel will send a working delegation to the mediators to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement under conditions acceptable to Israel,\u201d he said in a post on X.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rafah-assault.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"677\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rafah-assault.jpg?resize=1016%2C677&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22678\" style=\"width:822px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rafah-assault.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rafah-assault.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rafah-assault.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rafah-assault.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Rafah-assault.jpg?resize=589%2C392&amp;ssl=1 589w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike east of Rafah, Gaza Strip, on May 6, 2024. (Image Credit: AP)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In a statement, Netanyahu&#8217;s office added that his war cabinet approved continuing an operation in Rafah \u201cto exert military pressure on Hamas.\u201d Meanwhile, Israel\u2019s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir immediately took to social media to reject the deal and call for the invasion of Rafah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>World reaction<\/strong> <strong>to Hamas agreeing to truce proposal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Israel\u2019s negative response to the possibility of a ceasefire met with criticism from the regional stakeholders. Jordan&#8217;s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Netanyahu was jeopardizing a ceasefire by bombing Rafah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington would discuss the Hamas response with its allies in the coming hours, and a deal was &#8220;absolutely achievable&#8221;. Miller declined to confirm whether Hamas had agreed to a U.S.-approved offer or to a different version of the proposal. \u201cAs you know, [CIA] Director [William] Burns is in the region working on this in real-time. We will be discussing this response with our partners over the coming hours,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">US response on Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire proposal.<br><br>\u201cHamas has issued a response. We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region.\u201d \u2014 US State Dept spokesperson Matthew Miller<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XpsMLeqz8p\">pic.twitter.com\/XpsMLeqz8p<\/a><\/p>&mdash; IRIA (@IRIA_Research) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IRIA_Research\/status\/1787547173095104772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 6, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<br>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said that President Joe Biden had been briefed on Hamas\u2019s response, adding that talks were at a \u201ccritical stage\u201d and he refrained from commenting further and said that he did not want to say anything that would jeopardize the prospects of reaching an agreement. Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for about 30 minutes about Rafah and the hostage and ceasefire proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is currently on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/chinas-president-xi-jinping-arrives-in-france-beginning-his-first-europe-tour-in-five-years\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"22643\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ac0707\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Europe tour<\/mark><\/a>, called for an \u201cimmediate, comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.\u201d Speaking in Paris, Xi reiterated said China&#8217;s support of the full membership of Palestine in the United Nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Jordan\u2019s King Abdullah urged President Joe Biden to \u201ctake urgent action to prevent a new catastrophe\u201d as Israel prepares a ground operation on the Gaza city of Rafah. In his private meeting with Biden at the White House, Abdullah \u201cwarned of the repercussions of the Israeli ground offensive on Rafah, which could cause a regional spillover of the conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Israeli protesters call on Netanyahu to accept truce deal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon after the news of Hamas&#8217;s agreement to truce deal, hundreds of Israelis rallied around the country, calling for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to the terms of a ceasefire deal that Hamas accepted. In Jerusalem, nearly a hundred marched towards Netanyahu&#8217;s home with a banner reading: &#8220;The blood is on your hands.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hostage families said in a statement that the announcement from Hamas must lead to \u201cthe return of the 132 hostages held captive by Hamas for the past seven months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>IDF says it has taken control of Rafah crossing\u2019s Gaza side<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tuesday that it had taken \u201coperational control\u201d of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. Wael Abu Omar, a Gaza border official, said travel and the flow of aid into the Strip have \u201cstopped completely\u201d as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Israeli tanks have taken over the Rafah border crossing after advancing during the night as their warplanes pounded residential homes, killing at least 12 people. The Israeli military said they &#8220;struck and eliminated Hamas terror targets in the Rafah area,&#8221; and killed 20 Hamas gunmen.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Palestinians-fleeing-Rafah.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Palestinians-fleeing-Rafah.jpg?resize=900%2C600&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Palestinians fleeing Rafah\" class=\"wp-image-22675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Palestinians-fleeing-Rafah.jpg?w=900&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Palestinians-fleeing-Rafah.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Palestinians-fleeing-Rafah.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Palestinians-fleeing-Rafah.jpg?resize=589%2C392&amp;ssl=1 589w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>Displaced Palestinians fleeing Rafah after the Israeli military told civilians to leave the eastern parts of the southern Gazan city, May 6, 2024. (Image Credit: Ramadan Abed\/Reuters)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>A day earlier, the Israeli military called on around 100,000 Palestinians living in parts of eastern Rafah to \u201cevacuate immediately,\u201d telling them to move to Al-Mawasi, a coastal town near the city of Khan Younis, ahead of the planned Israeli ground offensive in Rafah. Around 1.5 million people of Gaza\u2019s displaced population are currently sheltering in Rafah, which was home to about 275,000 people before the war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Palestinian militant group Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt. Israel, however, rejected the terms, saying the proposal falls short of its demands and vows to proceed with its planned Rafah offensive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[44,1],"tags":[75,92,93,26,356,27,831,128],"class_list":["post-22670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east","category-news","tag-conflict","tag-gaza","tag-hamas","tag-israel","tag-middle-east","tag-palestine","tag-rafah","tag-war"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Palestinians-celebrate.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-5TE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22670"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22731,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22670\/revisions\/22731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}