(RepublicanNews.org) – Hamas announced that they would accept a ceasefire proposal put forward by Egypt and Qatar for a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Israel decided to reject the proposal for not meeting all of their demands, moving forward with a planned attack on the city of Rafah.
Hamas announced on its website on Monday, May 6th, that diplomatic leader Ismail Haniyeh had a phone conversation with Egyptian intelligence minister Abbas Kamel and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and informed them that Hamas would accept the proposal put forward by the two intermediating nations.
Hours before, Israel warned about 100,000 residents in Rafah, many of whom are already taking refuge in southern Gaza from the onslaught in other areas, to evacuate the city before beginning the attack on Hamas targets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal put forward by Qatar and Egypt and agreed upon by Hamas falls far short of the Jewish state’s demands, and that they are intent on taking out all of Hamas’ military capabilities, which the accepted ceasefire would leave “intact.” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began positioning tanks immediately. The ceasefire proposal involved a series of stages, which included hostage exchange negotiations, an eventual complete withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip, as well as an end goal of facilitating a massive reconstruction period after the war’s conclusion.
Israel moved forward with its planned attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Tuesday, May 7th. Military forces captured a key border crossing point between Gaza and Egypt, where a lot of aid supplies often come through. Critics of the Jewish state’s actions are concerned with the dwindling livable and safe areas in Gaza for displaced refugees to go to as the IDF continues to sweep through the remaining territory.
Over the last seven months, more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign, according to Hamas. The escalation was sparked on a single bloody day when Hamas launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7th, 2023, which left over 1,200 dead, and over 200 taken into captivity.
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