UPDATE II: The White House has confirmed Hamas has sent a response to ongoing ceasefire and hostage negotiations but would not give details about the U.S. or Israeli response.
"The last thing I would ever want to do from this podium is put this very sensitive process at greater risk," National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said to reporters Monday afternoon.
John Kirby: "There has been a response from Hamas to the hostage deal. We're currently reviewing that response and we're discussing it with our partners in the region...I won't be able to comment any further on this until we know where things stand." pic.twitter.com/AAG37n2HoQ
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 6, 2024
CIA Director Bill Burns is in the region and directly involved in negotiations.
UPDATE: In typical fashion, Hamas is operating in bad faith and manipulating the terms of the agreement.
BREAKING: Israeli official says Hamas approved a "softened" ceasefire proposal that is "not acceptable" to Israel - SKY
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 6, 2024
BREAKING: Senior Israeli official to Ynet: This Hamas agreement to the deal is a deception. It is a one-sided deal without any Israeli involvement or agreement. This was meant to make Israel look bad when they refuse.
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) May 6, 2024
BREAKING: Two Israeli officials confirm to me that Hamas has NOT accepted the deal that was on the table.
— Nick Schifrin (@nickschifrin) May 6, 2024
This reported Hamas approval looks like textbook deception: approving a deal that isn’t on the table in order to apply pressure on Israel to accept Hamas terms.
— Jonathan Conricus (@jconricus) May 6, 2024
***Original story***
Iranian backed terrorist organization Hamas is claiming they've agreed to a ceasefire proposal delivered by Egypt and Qatar as the Israeli Defense Forces prepare to invade Rafah, a city in southern Gaza City where 8000 terrorists are stationed and holding hostages. The proposal reportedly includes a six week ceasefire in exchange for hostages -- the number is not known. The details of what Hamas actually agreed to are also unknown.
HAMAS ACCEPTS CEASEFIRE DEAL: Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of the political bureau of the Hamas terror group, "called the Prime Minister of Qatar and the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence and informed them that Hamas accepts their proposal for a ceasefire.”
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 6, 2024
The news comes after Hamas rejected dozens of offers over the past six months for a ceasefire, which included the release of thousands of terrorists from Israeli prisons in exchange for hostages.
The Egyptian proposal originally called for Hamas to be allowed freedom of movement throughout Gaza and removal of IDF forces. There was no way Israel could allow for that. The American-backed counterproposal that Blinken called generous is what Hamas needs to accept.
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) May 6, 2024
Earlier in the day the IDF dropped leaflets warning non-combatants in Rafah to evacuate.
𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞:
— Lt. Col. (R) Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) May 6, 2024
This morning the @IDF called on Palestinians in eastern #Rafah to temporarily evacuate from the area.
The evacuation efforts included dropping leaflets, text messages, phone calls and media announcements in Arabic.
IDF is urging everyone to… pic.twitter.com/8HBnvyqBeg
Israel has not responded about whether the latest deal from Qatar and Egypt is acceptable.
Over the weekend Hamas bombed a humanitarian aid crossing into Gaza, which was recently reopened.
ICYMI: Hamas Blew Up the Border Crossing Where Humanitarian Aid Enters Gaza https://t.co/hU6ipqt6iz
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) May 6, 2024
This is a breaking story, stay tuned for updates.