Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that the group accepted their cease-fire proposal, according to a brief statement from the militant group, which gave no details of the accord.
"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 cease-fire agreement," read the Hamas statement published on its official website.
While Hamas agreed to the cease-fire, Israeli officials say the proposals were “far reaching conclusions” that the Middle Eastern nation did not agree to.
Earlier on Monday, Israel’s military struck Rafah, a city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip.
Rafah was the last sanctuary for at least 2.3 million people who were pushed south by the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Israel says the operations in Rafah were limited to the city’s eastern parts. This came after a rocket attack claimed by Hamas fighters killed four Israeli soldiers on Sunday, at the main border crossing into the sanctuary city.
David Mencer, Israel's government spokesperson said the Middle Eastern nation "asked civilians to move out of harm’s way," and said Israel has been "extremely specific about the areas" they would be targeting.
Bombardment of eastern Rafah continued throughout the day on Monday.
Jaber Abu Nazly, a 40-year-old father who spoke to Reuters via a chat application said the Israeli operation in Rafah started on Sunday night.
"After the evacuation orders the bombardment became more intense because they want to frighten us to leave," Nazly said, adding, "some families already left, others are wondering whether there is any place safe in the whole of Gaza."
Overnight, Israeli planes had hit 10 houses, killing 20 people, Palestinian medical officials said.
The Israeli military said it had struck the site from which the previous day's rocket had been launched at its troops.
Israel began what it called a "limited scope" evacuation operation in Rafah after the strike which closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing IN the southeast corner of the city. It is also the main entry point for aid into the south of the enclave.
The United States, an Israeli ally, has repeatedly urged Israel not to go ahead with an all-out assault on Rafah.
President Joe Biden spoke on Monday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had agreed to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing, the White House said.
Israel has been threatening for months to assault Rafah, which it says has become the last hiding place fighters from Hamas, the militant group responsible for the October 7 attack on the Middle Eastern nation that killed an estimated 1,200 people which precipitated the war.
Thousands of Hamas fighters are said to be hiding among the civilians in Rafah, along with the group's senior leaders and many hostages captured on October 7, according to Israeli officials.
Information for this article was sourced from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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