Hamas says it accepts ceasefire proposal, but Israel says it’s still examining deal

Hamas announced on Monday it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a ceasefire to halt the seven-month-long war with Israel in Gaza, hours after Israel ordered Palestinians to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah.

Details of the proposal have not yet been released.

Later on Monday, Israel's military spokesperson said all proposals regarding negotiations to free hostages in Gaza are examined seriously and that in parallel it continues to operate in the Hamas-ruled territory.

Asked during a media briefing whether Hamas's acceptance of a ceasefire proposal would impact a planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: We examine every answer and response in the most seriously manner and are exhausting every possibility regarding negotiations and returning the hostages.

He added, In parallel, we are still operating in the Gaza Strip and will continue to do so.

• Israeli army urges Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah ahead of 'limited' action (new window)

In recent days, Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the ceasefire would take place in a series of stages during which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza.

It is not clear whether the deal will meet Hamas's key demand of bringing about an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal.

WATCH | Families in parts of Rafah uprooted again:

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'I don't know where I will go'

Families in parts of Rafah are on the move, with few resources and little sense of where they will go, after being urged by Israel to relocate.

Despite the uncertainty, uprooted families preparing to evacuate again from Rafah told CBC News they were relieved to hear that a deal was on the table.

We were wondering where we would go, we have no shelter or anywhere to go to, but thank God, I was happy to hear this news, said Umm Ahmed Al-Masry. "The feeling is indescribable."

Looming assault on Rafah

Hamas said in a statement its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar's prime minister and Egypt's intelligence minister. After the release of the statement, Palestinians erupted in cheers in the sprawling tent camps around Rafah, hoping the deal meant an Israeli attack had been averted.

Asked for the parameters of the deal, the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council declined to provide details.

I'm not going to get into that, John Kirby told reporters during a press briefing on Monday. "You're asking me for the parameters around the response and the deal itself, and I'm just not going to do that.

Without getting into the details of it ... there have been ongoing negotiations and talks here for weeks.

Israel's closest allies, including the United States, have repeatedly said that Israel shouldn't attack Rafah. The looming operation has raised global alarm over the fate of about 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there (new window).

Aid agencies have warned that an offensive will worsen Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe and bring a surge of more civilian deaths in an Israeli campaign that has devastated the territory and, according to the local Health Ministry, killed more than 34,700 people and injured 78,108 others as of Monday.

Israel launched its attack on Gaza after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that saw 1,200 people killed and more than 250 kidnapped, according to the government's tally.

The Associated Press ·with files from CBC's Yasmine Hassan