JERUSALEM — Israel stepped up attacks Monday in the southern city of Rafah hours after Hamas said it would accept the terms of a cease-fire plan drawn from a proposal by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Israel stepped up attacks Monday in the southern city of Rafah hours after Hamas said it would accept the terms of a cease-fire plan drawn from a proposal by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said that while the new proposal failed to meet Israel’s demands, the country would still send a working-level delegation to talks in hopes of reaching an acceptable deal. Qatar also said that it would send a delegation for the talks, in Cairo.
As Israeli forces carried out strikes in eastern Rafah, the prime minister’s office said that the war Cabinet had decided unanimously that Israel would continue with its military actions in the city to exert pressure on Hamas. The decision, the office said, sought to advance all of Israel’s war aims, including freeing hostages.
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that the proposal Hamas was willing to accept included three phases, of 42 days each, and stressed that its main goal was a permanent cease-fire.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political wing, first described Hamas’ new position in a post on the group’s Telegram channel at 7:36 p.
