Rafah
\nThe Hamas ceasefire announcement surprised most observers and upended Israel\u2019s expectations of what might happen in the next few weeks.
\nIsrael\u2019s working assumption was that Hamas would not accept a ceasefire proposal that the Americans called \u201cexceptionally generous\u201d. At first light, Israel warned Palestinians to flee the eastern side of Rafah, because of an imminent military operation.
\nThe Americans oppose any ground operations in Rafah that could threaten civilian lives. The Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, explained to his American counterpart that there was no alternative – as Hamas had rejected every proposal for a temporary ceasefire and a release of hostages.
\nMediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar continued to push for a ceasefire. The head of the CIA, William Burns, spent much of the day in meetings with the prime minister of Qatar in Doha, the capital city that is also the base for the political leadership of Hamas.
\nBy the evening, as Hamas announced it would accept a ceasefire, Palestinian sources hinted it might be ready for a long-term truce.
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s first public response was to say that Hamas was \u201cfar from meeting Israel\u2019s demands\u201d. Nonetheless, he has dispatched a delegation to discuss it.
\nThe prime minister is in a political bind. His coalition government depends on the support of Jewish ultranationalists. They\u2019ve demanded a full occupation of Rafah and threatened to topple the government if that doesn\u2019t happen. A ceasefire would mean no Rafah offensive.
\nAt the same time, families and supporters of Israeli hostages have been demonstrating, blocking major roads to demand that Israel accepts the deal to get them back home.
\nThe Americans also want a deal. President Joe Biden\u2019s support for Israel, even as its army killed huge numbers of Palestinian civilians, is costing him political support in an election year.
\nHamas has put Mr Netanyahu under pressure. If Mr Biden pushes him to accept a ceasefire he\u2019ll have to choose between his government\u2019s survival and the vital support the US president has given him since the 7th October attacks.
\nA ceasefire would also mean that Israel had not achieved the \u201ctotal victory\u201d prime minister Netanyahu has sworn to deliver. More negotiations, and tough choices, come next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rafah The Hamas ceasefire announcement surprised most observers and upended Israel\u2019s expectations of what might happen in the next few weeks. Israel\u2019s working assumption was that Hamas would not accept a ceasefire proposal that the Americans called \u201cexceptionally generous\u201d. At first light, Israel warned Palestinians to flee the eastern side of Rafah, because of an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-405455","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n