The US government has refuted claims suggesting that Hamas had accepted a ceasefire proposal in the midst of the Gaza conflict just before the Israeli military launched an operation in Rafah.
According to Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the US State Department in Washington, Hamas did not outright accept the ceasefire proposal but rather responded with several suggestions. Miller clarified that the proposal being discussed was one that was put forward at the end of April, emphasizing that Hamas did not unequivocally accept it but rather provided amendments or what could be deemed as a counter proposal.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced on Tuesday that it had seized control of the Palestinian portion of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza overnight. This operation was assured by Israeli leaders to be of limited scope.
Rafah stood as the last city in Gaza that Israeli forces had not entered during their extensive offensive, initiated after the October 7 attacks on southern Israel. These attacks resulted in approximately 1,200 casualties and the abduction of around 200 individuals by Hamas and other militant groups. Meanwhile, it is being reported that more than 100 hostages remain at the hand of the Rafah kidnappers.
Regardless of the warnings of Israel's allies and the world's leaders against the military operation in Rafah, thousands of Palestinian civilians moved to the city as the fighting between Palestinian groups and Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks started in other parts of the Gaza Strip.
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