New Delhi: Following Hamas’s announcement of accepting a proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar for a ceasefire in Gaza, an Israeli official on Monday stated that no ceasefire had been agreed in Gaza. The official said that the proposal accepted by Hamas is a “softened” version of the Egyptian proposal. According to the Israeli official, the proposed terms contained “far-reaching” conclusions that Israel could not agree to, as per a Reuters report.
Earlier, Hamas announced on Monday its acceptance of a ceasefire proposal for Gaza, put forward by Egypt and Qatar. This move follows negotiations facilitated by US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators over recent days.
In a statement released by the Islamist faction, Hamas, it was conveyed that its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had communicated the acceptance of the ceasefire proposal to Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief.
The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.
Israel, has since, characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas’ infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties.
Further details are awaited.
