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The announcement comes as people started to flee eastern Rafah after Israel ordered tens of thousands to evacuate.
Published On 6 May 2024
Hamas has approved a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt, the Palestinian group said, although Israel has yet to comment on the proposal.
“Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas movement, conducted a telephone call with the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and with the Egyptian intelligence minister, Mr Abbas Kamel, and informed them of Hamas’s approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire agreement,” the group said in a statement published on its official website on Monday.
Details of the proposal were not immediately clear and Israel has yet to officially comment.
The announcement comes as people started to flee the southern Gaza city of Rafah, after Israel ordered tens of thousands people to evacuate amid growing fears of a full-blown military assault. More than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter in the area.
After the Hamas announcement, crowds of people gathered to cheer and celebrate in Rafah.
Israel and Hamas have been engaged in indirect talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt over a potential ceasefire in the Gaza war and an exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners.
Egyptian and Hamas officials have previously said a potential ceasefire would take place in several stages in which Hamas would release Israeli captives it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza.
It is not clear whether the deal will meet Hamas’ key demand of a permanent ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the return of displaced families to their homes.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah, said people started celebrating in the vicinity of the Kuwaiti Hospital upon hearing the announcement.
Children and the elderly and among people cheering and chanting for a return to Gaza City, he said.
“Everyone … is happy because they believe a Rafah invasion will bring an unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe,” Abu Azzoum said. “Now they are so optimistic.”
The announcement has brought “a sense of relief and tranquility” among Palestinians who are “exhausted and traumatised”, he said.
A displaced Palestinian in Rafah told Al Jazeera he hopes the deal will allow him to return to his home in Gaza City.
“We hope we return to our homes … I am from Gaza [city] itself,” he said.
Source
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Al Jazeera and news agencies
