1. Hamas ‘accepts Gaza ceasefire’ proposed by Egypt & Qatar – but Israel slams deal as a ‘RUSE’ with ‘softened’ terms

ISRAEL has said that no ceasefire deal has been agreed on in Gaza despite Hamas issuing a statement of accepting the proposal.

Earlier, reports came out that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had phoned Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister to seal the deal.

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Al-Jazeera cited a leading Hamas official who reported that the decision to momentarily stop the fighting was reached on Monday.

The details of the ceasefire deal aren’t immediately clear but Hamas spokesperson Taher Al-Nono said the proposal that the group accepted includes a prisoner swap deal, reconstruction of Gaza, and return of the displaced Palestinians.

Israel is yet to issue an official position in regards to the development.

An anonymous Israeli official told Reuters that Hamas accepted a “softened” Egyptian plan which Israel found unacceptable.

The unnamed official said: “This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal.”

This comes just hours after Israel had ordered an evacuation in Rafah which will see around 100,000 people displaced.

Israel‘s defence minister warned on Sunday that an invasion of refugee-filled Rafah is imminent after a ceasefire deal crumbled due to Hamas’ demands.

About 1.4million Palestinians – more than half of Gaza’s population – are crammed in the densely-packed Rafah neighbourhoods after seeking refuge from elsewhere in the territory.

Israel’s invasion of Rafah has raised concerns after the United Nations warned it could spark a bloodbath for helpless civilians.

Ceasefire talks have been ongoing for some time between the two leadership groups out in the tense Middle East as the world looks for the war in Gaza to come to a end.

Israel has put forward a deal which is understood to include a 40-day pause in fighting to allow hostage releases and boost aid to the blitzed coastal strip.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken dubbed Israeli’s offer “extraordinarily generous” given their superiority in all aspects of the current conflict.

He said earlier this week: “The only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas.”

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron also described Israel’s offer as “generous”.

He said: “I hope Hamas do take this deal and frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying ‘take that deal.’”

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Senior Hamas officials raised hopes of a breakthrough earlier this week when they declared the terror group had no “major issues” with the truce plan.

The terror squad has previously asked for a permanent ceasefire despite Israel vowing to win the war emphatically.

Israel say they are allowing for “period of sustained calm” rather than any sign of a fixed end point.

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has faced intense public pressure after fierce demonstrations led by hostage families broke out across Israel.

Netanyahu has stressed Rafah will be attacked regardless of any deal despite there being a concerning number of civilians and hostages still camping out in the battered city.

Israel is still reportedly yet to tell the US and other nations how they plan to protect the civilians sheltering in Rafah.

Blinken said: “Absent such a plan, we can’t support a major military operation going into Rafah because the damage it would do is beyond what’s acceptable.”

Humanitarian groups and the United Nations also begged Israel to halt their attack plans due to the million residents trapped.

Netanyahu has also been accused of trying to derail any deal by a Hamas official through his Rafah threats.

Hossam Badran told AFP: “Netanyahu was the obstructionist of all previous rounds of dialogue… and it is clear that he still is.”

The US, Egypt and Qatar, have been trying to seal a ceasefire deal for months alongside the two battling parties.

Grant Shapps spoke on The Sun’s new World At War show saying: “Bringing this to a conclusion is absolutely essential.

“It’s in the Palestinian people’s interest.

“It’s in Israel’s interest is in the world’s interest to see that happen.

“And the route to that is by releasing hostages, the thing which started all of this.”

It comes amid fears in Israel that PM Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant could be issued with arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

ISRAELI INVASION

Satellite images in April showed Israel gearing up their troops and military trucks for a potential six-week assault on Rafah.

Troops have been seen stationing themselves around the battered Gaza strip as an escalation of war looks imminent despite the ceasefire talks.

Israel is looking to end the horrific war while keeping civilian casualties low, they say.

Over a million Palestinians are hiding out in Rafah after being ran out of their homes during the six-month war.

Up to 800 vehicles can be seen sat across two separate bases in Gaza, according to satellite imagery from Planet Labs.

Around 700 trucks are in the Negev desert in the south as 120 are preparing on the northern border of the Gaza Strip.

The birds eye view of the strip – which shows a blanket of white tents – also reveals how Israel has been using nine cleverly positioned military outposts around the enclave.

Many believe Israel is making moves towards the city as they look to launch a decisive assault in the area where they believe top brass Hamas cowards may be hiding out.

Egyptian officials told the Wall Street Journal that at least the first two weeks will be fully dedicated to getting civilians out.

It is most likely they will be taken to nearby areas such as Khan Younis where there is plenty of shelters and medical personal on hand.

Around 1.4million people took refuge in Rafah when the war began in October 2023 to escape the senseless bombing, kidnappings and ground battles.

Israel will work alongside the US, Egypt and other Arab allies to safely move the residents, say the Egyptian officials.

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