Tel Aviv [Israel], May 6 : Amid Israel's urgent evacuation notice to residents of eastern Rafah, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has sent word of the group's acceptance of a ceasefire proposal to Qatari and Egyptian mediators, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.
Thousands of people flee eastern Rafah after Israel orders people to evacuate as fears of a full-blown military assault on the city sheltering more than one million displaced people grow.
The details of the ceasefire deal have not been disclosed.
This comes as Israel's military issued an urgent evacuation notice to residents of eastern Rafah, following a warning from the country's defence minister of impending "intense action" in the area, CNN reported.
Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab media division of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, urged residents to "evacuate immediately" to designated humanitarian areas at the checkpoints for their safety. The call specifically targets individuals residing in the municipality of Al-Shawka and the neighbourhoods of Al-Salam, Al-Jneina, Tiba Zaraa, and Al-Bayouk in the Rafah area.
The announcement comes amidst the ongoing bombardment of Gaza, with significant devastation witnessed since October 7. Many residents of Rafah, already displaced multiple times, now face the prospect of further displacement amid escalating conflict, as reported by CNN.
The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.
Israel, has since, characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas' infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties.
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