Hamas tells Qatari, Egyptian mediators it agrees to ceasefire proposal

Hamas has told the Qatari and Egyptian mediators that it agreed to the Qatari-Egyptian ceasefire proposal, the terror group told Al Jazeera on Monday evening. 

Earlier today, it was reported that Hamas suspended hostage talks as Israel ignored the warnings of world leaders and pushed forward with plans for a military operation in Rafah, starting with the evacuation of Palestinians from that area of Gaza on Monday.

"We confirm that any military offensive in Rafah will not be a picnic to the fascist occupation army,” Hamas said in a statement. “Our brave resistance on top of them, the Qassam Brigades, is fully prepared to defend our people and defeat this enemy.”A Hamas source told Al Araby Al Jadeed that it had suspended third-party talks for a hostage deal, which it had participated in along with CIA Director William Burns and Egyptian and Qatari officials in Cairo on Sunday. 

Israel had been expected to send a delegation, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opted not to have a team attend, preferring to wait for a formal from Hamas.

The Hamas team left Cairo on Sunday, with plans to return on Tuesday. Burn went to Doha to consul to with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani, and is expected to visit Israel this week.

Kerem Shalom attack caused ceasefire talks to falter

US President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for half an hour on Monday and was also expected to hold a private meeting in the White House with Jordan’s King Abdullah.Egypt worked to contain the damage to negotiations, which were also harmed by the Hamas attack Sunday on the Kerem Shalom crossing that killed four soldiers.

An Egyptian source told Al-Qahera News that it was the Kerem Shalom attack Sunday that caused the talks to falter. 

At issue had been Hama's insistence on a permanent ceasefire, with Israel standing firm that it could only accept a pause to the war because it was determined to conduct a military operation in Rafah to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on X that “Israel's evacuation orders to civilians in Rafah portend the worst: more war and famine. It is unacceptable.

“Israel must renounce” its "ground offensive,” he stated, adding that the EU and the international community can and “must act to prevent such a scenario.” 

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna stressed on X her country’s opposition to the Rafah operation, explaining that French President Emmanuel Macron had explained this to Netanyahu when the two spoke on Sunday.

Et le Président de la République 🇫🇷 a rappelé hier la ferme opposition de la France à une offensive israélienne sur #Rafah lors de son entretien téléphonique avec le Premier ministre 🇮🇱 Netanhyahou. https://t.co/Cb9cmxwwyZ

— Catherine Colonna (@MinColonna) May 6, 2024

The French Foreign Ministry told reporters that the “forced displacement of a civilian population constitutes a war crime under international law."