Palestinians took to the streets of Rafah, Gaza City, and Deir al-Bala, and throughout the Strip on Monday evening to celebrate after Hamas announced that the terrorist organization accepts the terms of the cease-fire presented by Qatar and Egypt, which are mediating contacts with Israel.
Gazans celebrate Hamas acceptance of cease-fire proposal
(צילום: רויטרס )
"We thank the Egyptian side, we are happy and feel as if we were reborn today. We are very tired," said a Gazan who participated in the celebrations. The correspondent for the AFP news agency in Rafah reported on Palestinians rejoicing in the streets of the city in the southern Gaza Strip, and on shots being fired in the air as a sign of joy. "People are crying with happiness," the correspondent reported.
Hamas announced Monday it accepted an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a cease-fire to halt the seven-month-long war with Israel in Gaza, hours after Israel ordered about 100,000 Palestinians to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent. A Hamas official said "we agreed to a six-week cease-fire."
2 View gallery
Gazans celebrate potential cease-fire proposal in the streets of Gaza
(Photo: REUTERS/Doaa Al Baz)
Israel has not yet officially responded to the proposal, but a senior Israeli official called the so-called deal "a unilateral proposal without Israeli involvement. This is not the proposal we discussed with the Egyptians. This is an exercise by Hamas designed to present Israel as a refusenik."
Israeli officials added that "the Egyptians unilaterally flexed all the parameters so that Hamas would agree. This was done unilaterally and this proposal is not acceptable to Israel." According to an Israeli official, "it sounds like a drill."
Meanwhile, an announcement came from the Defense Minister's Office that Yoav Gallant and the IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy had "approved operational plans" for the continuation of the fighting in Gaza and in particular for Rafah.