Israel said the peace deal did not meet its "core demands", but a glimmer of hope remains of at least a pause in the fighting.
, but Israel said the deal did not meet its "core demands" and that it was pushing ahead with an assault on the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Still, Israel said it would continue negotiations.
Hamas's abrupt acceptance of the cease-fire deal came hours after Israel ordered an evacuation of some 100,000 Palestinians from eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah, signalling an invasion was imminent. US President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated American concerns about an invasion of Rafah. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said American officials were reviewing the Hamas response "and discussing it with our partners in the region." An American official said the US was examining whether what Hamas agreed to was the version signed off to by Israel and international negotiators or something else.
Hamas sought clearer guarantees for its key demand of an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal in return for the release of all hostages, but it wasn't clear if any changes were made.
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