Israel launches fresh airstrikes on Rafah after dismissing claims Hamas has accepted Gaza ceasefire deal as a ‘ruse’

ISRAEL has launched fresh airstrikes on Rafah after dismissing claims of Hamas accepting terms for a ceasefire in Gaza as a “ruse”.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Israeli forces are continuing to strike targets in the Gaza Strip city on Monday night.

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It came just hours after Hamas announced it had accepted a ceasefire deal based on proposals put forward by Egypt and Qatar.

The PM’s official account stated: “The War Cabinet unanimously decided this evening Israel will continue its operation in Rafah, in order to apply military pressure on Hamas so as to advance the release of our hostages and achieve the other objectives of the war.”

The IDF confirmed it started shelling the Southern Gazan city ahead of its six-week assault on Hamas terrorists.

In a Tweet, Israeli army has said: “The IDF is currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza.”

The bombing came just hours after the residents were been told to flee the war-torn city to avoid the risk of being used as “human shields” by Hamas thugs.

Over 100,000 citizens have been ordered to quickly seek refuge from the eastern parts of the city by Israel as an invasion looms.

Earlier, reports came out that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had phoned Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister to seal the ceasefire deal.

The militant group had reportedly decided to halt the bloody fighting, according to Al-Jazeera.

Hamas spokesperson Taher Al-Nono said they signed the deal for a prisoner swap, reconstruction of Gaza, and return of the displaced Palestinians.

It is still unclear what were the exact details of the proposal that Hamas had accepted, but Israel has said no mutual agreement was reached.

Israeli officials are set to fly to Cairo to put forward their own conditions in a bid to sign the long-awaited deal.

Netanyahu said in a statement: “While the Hamas proposal is far from meeting Israel’s core demands, Israel will dispatch a ranking delegation to Egypt in an effort to maximize the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel.”

An anonymous Israeli official has warned that the terror group’s claims are being used as a ploy to paint Israel in an unfavourable light.

They told Reuters Hamas accepted a “softened” Egyptian plan which Israel found unacceptable.

The unnamed official said: “This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal.”

Israel‘s defence minister warned on Sunday that an invasion of refugee-filled Rafah is imminent after a ceasefire deal crumbled due to Hamas’ demands.

Israel’s invasion of Rafah has raised concerns after the United Nations warned it could spark a bloodbath for helpless civilians.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he’s “deeply concerned” about the upcoming Rafah invasion where 1.4million Palestinians are crammed in the densely-populated neighbourhoods.

He said: “I’ve been very consistent that we are deeply concerned about the prospect of a military incursion into Rafah, given the number of civilians that are sheltering there and the importance of that crossing for aid.

More than half of Gaza’s population have sought shelter in the Southern city after their houses were razed to the ground in the ongoing war.

Mr Sunak continued: “The priority right now should be on all parties, but particularly Hamas, to agree to a deal to release hostages and allow more aid to go in as part of a temporary pause, which will allow us to build a sustainable ceasefire.

“That’s the best way to end the suffering. And that’s what I continue to call on all parties to do.”

Ceasefire talks have been ongoing for some time between the two leadership groups out in the tense Middle East as the world looks for the war in Gaza to come to a end.

Israel has put forward a deal which is understood to include a 40-day pause in fighting to allow hostage releases and boost aid to the blitzed coastal strip.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken dubbed Israeli’s offer “extraordinarily generous” given their superiority in all aspects of the current conflict.

He said earlier this week: “The only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas.”

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron also described Israel’s offer as “generous”.

He said: “I hope Hamas do take this deal and frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying ‘take that deal.’”

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Senior Hamas officials raised hopes of a breakthrough earlier this week when they declared the terror group had no “major issues” with the truce plan.

The terror squad has previously asked for a permanent ceasefire despite Israel vowing to win the war emphatically.

Israel say they are allowing for “period of sustained calm” rather than any sign of a fixed end point.

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has faced intense public pressure after fierce demonstrations led by hostage families broke out across Israel.

Netanyahu has stressed Rafah will be attacked regardless of any deal despite there being a concerning number of civilians and hostages still camping out in the battered city.

Israel is still reportedly yet to tell the US and other nations how they plan to protect the civilians sheltering in Rafah.

Blinken said: “Absent such a plan, we can’t support a major military operation going into Rafah because the damage it would do is beyond what’s acceptable.”

Humanitarian groups and the United Nations also begged Israel to halt their attack plans due to the million residents trapped.

Netanyahu has also been accused of trying to derail any deal by a Hamas official through his Rafah threats.

Hossam Badran told AFP: “Netanyahu was the obstructionist of all previous rounds of dialogue… and it is clear that he still is.”

The US, Egypt and Qatar, have been trying to seal a ceasefire deal for months alongside the two battling parties.

Grant Shapps spoke on The Sun’s new World At War show saying: “Bringing this to a conclusion is absolutely essential.

“It’s in the Palestinian people’s interest.

“It’s in Israel’s interest is in the world’s interest to see that happen.

“And the route to that is by releasing hostages, the thing which started all of this.”

It comes amid fears in Israel that PM Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant could be issued with arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

ISRAELI INVASION

Satellite images in April showed Israel gearing up their troops and military trucks for a potential six-week assault on Rafah.

Troops have been seen stationing themselves around the battered Gaza strip as an escalation of war looks imminent despite the ceasefire talks.

Israel is looking to end the horrific war while keeping civilian casualties low, they say.

Over a million Palestinians are hiding out in Rafah after being ran out of their homes during the six-month war.

Up to 800 vehicles can be seen sat across two separate bases in Gaza, according to satellite imagery from Planet Labs.

Around 700 trucks are in the Negev desert in the south as 120 are preparing on the northern border of the Gaza Strip.

The birds eye view of the strip – which shows a blanket of white tents – also reveals how Israel has been using nine cleverly positioned military outposts around the enclave.

Many believe Israel is making moves towards the city as they look to launch a decisive assault in the area where they believe top brass Hamas cowards may be hiding out.

Egyptian officials told the Wall Street Journal that at least the first two weeks will be fully dedicated to getting civilians out.

It is most likely they will be taken to nearby areas such as Khan Younis where there is plenty of shelters and medical personal on hand.

Around 1.4million people took refuge in Rafah when the war began in October 2023 to escape the senseless bombing, kidnappings and ground battles.

Israel will work alongside the US, Egypt and other Arab allies to safely move the residents, say the Egyptian officials.

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Source: Sun