Hamas responds to ceasefire deal; Israel strikes in eastern Rafah
“We definitely have real concerns about this unfolding operation,” a U.S. official said, but it does not appear to be a major ground offensive into densely populated areas.
While Hamas today said it had accepted a three-phase ceasefire/hostage release deal, Israel called Hamas’ proposal insufficient and said that it was proceeding with targeted military operations in eastern Rafah. It said it would, however, send a low-level delegation to Cairo to continue negotiations.
A White House official said that Hamas had proposed some amendments to an April 26 draft negotiated by Egypt, the United States, Israel, and Qatar.
“Hamas proposed what are essentially amendments to the initially proposed deal,” a National Security Council official said tonight. “They didn’t come back and accept the April 26 outright. Those amendments need to be discussed and negotiated upon, which is what will take place in Cairo.“
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Hamas proposal it received today (May 6) as “far from meeting Israel’s core demands.”
Israel’s war cabinet “unanimously decided that Israel will continue the operation in Rafah, in order to apply military pressure on Hamas,” and achieve its other war objectives, the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement tonight.
“IDF forces are now attacking and operating against the targets of the terrorist organization Hamas in a targeted manner in eastern Rafah,” Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari wrote this evening on Twitter. “More details to come.”
The United States has real concerns about the IDF’s unfolding operation, a U.S. official said, but it does not (yet) appear to be a major ground offensive, he said.
“What we are focused on is what everyone has been worried about – a major military operation into densely populated areas,” the U.S. official, speaking not for attribution, said. “We have been clear on that position. We definitely have real concerns about this unfolding operation, but it does not appear to be that.”
‘Everyone’ in the U.S. administration ‘is trying to get this over the line’
Earlier this afternoon, the White House and State Department said they had just received the proposal shortly after noon today and did not want to characterize it before more fully reviewing it and consulting with Israel, Qatar and Egypt about it.
“I can confirm that Hamas has issued a response,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told journalists at a department press briefing today. “We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region.”
CIA Director William Burns “is in the region working on this in real time,” Miller said. “It remains our top priority to try to reach a ceasefire agreement that will lead to the release of hostages,” and “allow a surge of humanitarian assistance” to move around Gaza.
“Everyone is trying to get this over the line,” he said.
“We are at a critical stage right now,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists at the White House press briefing today.
“I don't know that it gets any more sensitive than right now,” Kirby said. “And the worst thing that we can do is start speculating about what's in it.”
Former Israeli negotiator: Netanyahu trying to ‘sabotage’ deal
Former Israeli back channel negotiator Gershon Baskin said by proceeding with controversial military operations on Rafah after Hamas had ostensibly accepted a ceasefire deal, it appeared that the Israeli premier may be trying to provoke Hamas into withdrawing from it before he would have to decide if he would accept it.
“It seems that Netanyahu may be trying to sabotage the deal even before the cabinet gets the details and votes on it,” Baskin wrote on Twitter. “The Israeli military operation going on right now (almost 11:00 pm Israel time) is clearly aimed at pushing Hamas to withdraw its agreement for a ceasefire.”
‘Bibi is abandoning the hostages!’
Families of hostages held by Hamas accused Netanyahu of abandoning them.
“Bibi is abandoning the hostages!” demonstrators in Jerusalem shouted, outside Netanyahu’s official residence, the Times of Israel reported.
Palestinian MP and physician Mustafa Barghouti said by accepting the deal, Hamas had embarrassed Netanyahu and showed that it was his government obstructing a settlement.
“Hamas embarrassed Netanyahu by accepting the proposal of the mediators to stop the war on Gaza and allow the release of prisoners,” Palestinian MP Mustafa Barghouti wrote on Twitter. “The Israeli government’s negative response proved that Netanyahu and his extreme government are the real obstacles to peace and are determined to continue the horrible genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.”
But an Egypt expert said Egyptian officials had confirmed that the Hamas proposal contained reservations that would likely require further consultations.
“Hamas came back with several reservations. Including on permanence and end of war,” the analyst said. An Egyptian “diplomat I spoke to said it was better than where they were in the morning but far from any kind of agreement.”
President Biden spoke with Netanyahu this morning before news broke that Hamas had ostensibly accepted the deal.
During the call, President Biden again made clear that the United States could not support a major Israeli ground military operation in Rafah that “could potentially put more than a million innocent people at greater risk,” the NSC’s Kirby said. “He also made clear that we continue to believe that the hostage deal was the best way to avoid that sort of an outcome while securing the release of those hostages.”
“We’ve been consistent, and the President was consistent again this morning, that we don’t support ground operations in Rafah that would put the majority or even any of the civilians there at any greater risk,” Kirby said.
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Updated at 8:50pm with additional NSC and US official comments.