Israel has announced that no ceasefire between the Jewish state and Hamas has been agreed to, following a report that Hamas had previously accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal to halt fighting with Israel.
Just hours after Israel ordered Palestinians to evacuate the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the terror group released a statement that Hamas's supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, made a phone call to Qatari and Egyptian officials agreeing to their proposed ceasefire. These two nations have been engaged in diplomatic efforts to mediate talks between Hamas and Israel for several months.
An Israeli official said that the proposal accepted by Hamas was a “softened” version of an Egyptian proposal that included “far-reaching” conclusions Israel cannot accept, according to Reuters.
"This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal," the Israeli official said.
The report that Hamas agreed to a ceasefire comes shortly after Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu indicated plans for a ground military operation in Rafah.
Israel and Hamas have not agreed to a ceasefire since a week-long pause that took place last November.
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