War

Hamas says it has accepted a proposal for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war, brokered by Qatar and Egypt, although whether it leads to a pause in hostilities remains up in the air.
The Islamist group said in a statement late Monday local time that the chief of its political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, had informed Qatar's prime minister and Egypt's intelligence minister of its acceptance.
It is the first ceasefire proposal Hamas has agreed to since a temporary pause in fighting took place in November last year.
The announcement prompted celebrations in the street in the besieged Gaza Strip. It also brought hopeful Israelis onto the streets of Tel Aviv, demanding the country's government agree.
Those demonstrations were premature.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement about two hours after Hamas's announcement saying the deal the group had agreed to was "far from" its "necessary requirements".
It also said the country's war cabinet had unanimously decided to continue a planned operation in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where more than 1 million Palestinian civilians have been sheltering since early in the war.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also began conducting strikes against Hamas targets in Rafah.
The deal Hamas agreed to entails three stages, each lasting six weeks. It includes:
- The full withdrawal of Israel's military from Gaza as part of the second stage
- The reconstruction of Gaza
- Allowing people displaced by the war to return to other areas of the strip
- A prisoner swap that would see Israeli hostages being held by Hamas exchanged for Palestinians in Israeli jails
Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have previously been derailed.
The most significant sticking point has been the length of a potential ceasefire — Hamas has insisted it must be permanent, while Israel demanded it be temporary.
Hamas official Taher Al-Nono said a delegation would visit Cairo soon to discuss next steps, adding the organisation was now waiting to see what the mediators would do after receiving its response.
Israel also confirmed it would send a delegation to Cairo.
The United States said it was aware of Hamas's announcement and would be discussing it with allies in coming hours, adding that a ceasefire was "absolutely achievable".
White House spokesperson John Kirby told a press briefing that CIA Director William Burns was in the region discussing the proposal.
"We want to get these hostages out, we want to get a ceasefire in place for six weeks, we want to increase humanitarian assistance," Mr Kirby said.
Hamas's announcement came after Israel urged the evacuation of 100,000 people sheltering in Rafah on Monday.
It also came after US president Joe Biden spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call on Monday.
In a brief summary of the conversation, the White House said Mr Biden underscored the long-standing concerns about any invasion of Rafah.
Mr Netanyahu "agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance for those in need," the White House said, after Israel closed the key border crossing between Israel and Gaza after Hamas rocket attack at the weekend killed several IDF soldiers.
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel had stalled after the strike.
The US State Department said an offensive on Rafah would make it "incredibly difficult" to sustain the increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza.