Hamas accepts ceasefire deal, Netanyahu signals that he prefers more war
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Not a definitive rejections, I guess, although I’m not optimistic:
Hamas announced Monday it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, but there was no immediate word from Israel, leaving it uncertain whether a deal had been sealed to bring a halt to the seven-month-long war in Gaza.
It was the first glimmer of hope that a deal might avert further bloodshed. Hours earlier, Israel ordered some 100,000 Palestinians to begin evacuating the southern Gaza town of Rafah, signaling that an attack was imminent. The United States and other key allies of Israel oppose an offensive on Rafah, where around 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of Gaza’s population, are sheltering.
An official familiar with Israeli thinking said Israeli officials were examining the proposal, but the plan approved by Hamas was not the framework Israel proposed.
An American official also said the U.S. was still waiting to learn more about the Hamas position and whether it reflected an agreement to what had already been signed off on by Israel and international negotiators or something else. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as a stance was still being formulated.
I also don’t know what to make of this:
The Biden administration paused a shipment of US-made ammunition to Israel, according to a source familiar with the matter, who did not disclose why the decision was made. The hold is not connected to a potential Israeli operation in Rafah and doesn’t affect other shipments moving forward, the source said.
Asked about the paused shipment, a National Security Council spokesperson cited ongoing security assistance to Israel.
“The United States has surged billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel since the October 7 attacks, passed the largest ever supplemental appropriation for emergency assistance to Israel, led an unprecedented coalition to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, and will continue to do what is necessary to ensure Israel can defend itself from the threats it faces,” the spokesperson said.
Axios first reported the paused ammunition shipment.
US officials have maintained that there is no change in policy toward Israel. And last month, Biden signed a foreign aid bill that included $26 billion for the Israel-Hamas conflict — including $15 billion in Israeli military aid, $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and $2.4 billion for regional US military operations.
But US officials remain concerned about a potential Israeli operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have been sheltering.
The delay doesn’t reflect Rafah, but they’re concerned about it? I’m not sure what the administration is trying to communicate here, but “invading Rafah will have major negative repercussions for US/Israeli relations” is what they should be.
…UPDATE: not good…
"We must reject a ceasefire plan that would secure the release of the remaining hostages, for the sake of the remaining hostages" is some pretty Orwellian stuff https://t.co/EOWpntSUYC— Eric Levitz (@EricLevitz) May 6, 2024