From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 6, 2024
Officials: Hamas appears to have okayed ceasefire terms that Israel did not approve
Israeli officials are cautioning against taking at face value Hamas’s announcement that it accepts a ceasefire deal.
Officials tell networks Kan, 12, and 13 that the terms Hamas accepted are not those that Israel agreed to.
According to the officials quoted by the networks, the offer Hamas has accepted is one made unilaterally by Egypt and is not being taken seriously in Jerusalem before the details are clarified.
An Israeli official tells Reuters that the Hamas announcement appears to be a ruse designed to cast Israel as the side refusing a deal.
The official says the proposal Hamas has accepted is a “softened” version of an Egyptian proposal, which includes “far-reaching” conclusions that Israel cannot accept.
Hamas announcement that it accepts a ceasefire comes soon after US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone, and with CIA chief Bill Burns having shuttled from Doha to Jerusalem today.
A considerable part of the Biden-Netanyahu call was devoted to the efforts to reach a truce-for-hostages deal.
A US National Security Council spokesperson said earlier today that Biden, in the call, reiterated his concerns about an IDF invasion of Rafah and said he believes reaching a ceasefire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
