Following nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh notified mediators Qatar and Egypt on Monday that his party had consented to their call for a truce in Gaza.
The group said in a statement posted on its official website that Haniyeh had spoken with Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani over the phone, “and informed them of Hamas’s authorization of their offer regarding a truce agreement.”
However, a senior representative for Hamas emphasised that “the Israeli side has not yet communicated its position,” adding that “this does not mean that the ceasefire has come into effect yet.”
The Israeli occupation now has the power to approve or reject the ceasefire agreement, a senior official told AFP under condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to discuss the talks in public.
The decision by Hamas followed Israel’s appeal on Monday for Palestinians to evacuate eastern Rafah in advance of a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city, a move that has alarmed people all over the world.Following Hamas’s declaration, crowds in Rafah, whose residents had expressed dread and perplexity over the evacuation order, applauded and fired into the air, according to an AFP correspondent.
People were shooting in the air, yelling “Allahu Akbar” (God is Greatest), and shedding happy tears.
After months of sporadic negotiation, mediators have been unable to bring about a fresh ceasefire similar to the one that last November witnessed the release of 105 hostages, including Israelis in return for Palestinians detained by Israel.
