ISRAEL is prepared to attack Rafah, where there are refugees, within 72 hours if a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is not reached with Hamas.
The Palestinian militant group is considering a proposal that would allow them to free 33 hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting.
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The latest attempt to reach a truce deal, proposed by Egypt and worked out in part by Israel, requires Hamas to release between 20 and 33 Israeli hostages over the course of several weeks.
In exchange, Israel would release Palestinian prisoners and agree with the militant group to stop fighting.
In a second phase, described as “restoring sustainable calm,” the last hostages (captive Israeli soldiers and the bodies of the deceased) would be exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners.
The reference to “restoring sustainable calm” is a “way of agreeing to a permanent ceasefire without calling it that,” a foreign diplomatic source said. cnn.
Read more about the truth agreement
According to Israeli sources, Mossad, Shin Bet and Israeli military officials were expected to travel to Cairo today.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was said to be considering the proposal and a decision would likely be made within days.
Any delay in Hamas’ response could have dire consequences for the 1.5 million Palestinians sheltered in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli military sources said the Israeli army is prepared to invade the city within 72 hours if an agreement on a ceasefire is not reached, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
Israeli news site Ynet cited an anonymous source claiming that Israeli tanks and military troops were lined up on the Gaza border and awaiting the go-ahead to begin offensive operations.
The media said that next Between 48 and 72 hours were critical for Israel to reach an agreement with Hamas or begin the attack on Rafah.
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reportedly approved final plans for a military offensive in Rafah, as well as a plan to evacuate civilians to safer areas in the central Gaza Strip.
Rafah is the last remaining area in the besieged enclave where Israel has not formally announced the entry of its troops.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Hamas’s “last stronghold” is entrenched in the city and said sending troops to the “last terrorist stronghold” is necessary for Israel to win the war.
Israel has warned that this is Hamas’s “last chance” to agree to a ceasefire and hostage exchange before launching its attack on Rafah.
A senior Israeli official said Egypt appeared willing to pressure the militant group to reach a deal, adding that “deep down, there are very serious intentions on Israel’s part to make progress on Rafah.”
The United States and the United Kingdom urged Hamas to accept the proposal outlined by the US Secretary of State. Anthony Blinken called it “extraordinarily generous on Israel’s part.”
Blinken said on Monday: “Right now, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas.
“They (Hamas) have to decide and they have to do it quickly.
“I’m hoping they make the right decision.”
For months, the basis of negotiations had been the release of 40 hostages for a six-week pause in fighting.
But Israel agreed to accept fewer hostages in the first phase of a possible truce after Hamas withdrew its offer to fewer than 20 people.
Israel believes Hamas has 33 live hostages who meet the “humanitarian” description – that is, women, children, men over 50 and sick people – and insists that they should all be released. The times of Israel reports.
The country is reportedly willing to make more major concessions, including allowing people to return to them. homes in northern Gaza and withdraw forces from a key corridor dividing Gaza.
More than 130 Israeli hostages remain held captive by Hamas after the militant group launched its attack on Israel on October 7, although far fewer are believed to be alive, while Tel Aviv has around 9,100 Palestinians in its prisons.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said an attack on Rafah would be “the greatest catastrophe in the history of the Palestinian people.”
He said: “We call on the United States of America to call on Israel not to carry out the Rafah attack.
“The United States is the only country capable of stopping Israel from committing this crime.”
The president said he feared that Israel’s operation in Gaza would force the Palestinian population out of the occupied West Bank and into Jordan.
Israel’s Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out ending the war until Hamas is completely eliminated.
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