Palestinians celebrate as Hamas accepts proposed cease-fire for Gaza Strip

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Thousands of Palestinians celebrated in various areas in the Gaza Strip on Monday evening, shortly after resistance group Hamas accepted a proposed cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Video clips shared on social media platforms showed thousands staging marches in the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza and the central city of Deir al-Balah.

Hamas said on Monday evening that it has agreed to a proposed cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh conveyed his group’s approval of the proposal during phone calls with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, the group added in a statement.

The approval came in the wake of Israeli forces issuing evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern neighborhoods of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, a step widely seen as a prelude to starting Israel's long-threatened attack on the city, home to some 1.5 million Palestinians seeking refuge from the war.

Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News channel, citing a well-placed source, said early Monday that a Hamas delegation will arrive in Cairo early Tuesday to continue Gaza cease-fire talks.

The Hamas delegation left the Egyptian capital on Sunday after a two-day round of cease-fire talks for consultations with the group’s leadership.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack led by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people. More than 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,100 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.