Hours after Israel’s military told them to seek a new place of safety, Gazans in the southern city of Rafah took to the streets Monday night to celebrate: At the 11th hour, Hamas said it had accepted a proposal for a cease-fire. People cheered. Sweets were passed around.
A few hours later, it became clear that the celebrations were premature. The agreement accepted by Hamas turned out to be a counteroffer that Israel hadn’t seen and wouldn’t agree to, shattering hopes of an imminent end to months of hostilities.
On Tuesday, Israel seized control of the Gaza side of a key crossing to Egypt, an operation the Israeli military described as “very precise and limited in space,” even as high-stakes talks for a cease-fire continued in Cairo.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday that the operation would continue “until we eliminate Hamas in the Rafah area and the entire Gaza Strip, or until the first hostage returns.”
Hamas didn’t respond to an Israeli-Egyptian proposal to pause the fighting in exchange for a release of hostages because the proposal didn’t contain long-term guarantees.
On Monday, after Israel issued evacuation orders affecting 100,000 people in Rafah, Hamas leaders said they accepted a proposal to pause fighting. Statements from Israel indicated the two sides weren’t close to an imminent deal.
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