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Hamas told Egyptian and Qatari mediators that it had accepted their Gaza ceasefire proposal, Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera reported on Monday, citing a leading Hamas official.
The terror group issued issued a statement on Monday saying its supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar's prime minister and Egypt's intelligence minister.
The two Middle Eastern nations have been mediating months of talks between Israel and Hamas.
There was no immediate comment from Israel and there were no immediate details over what the agreement entailed.
This comes just hours after Israel ordered Palestinians to begin evacuating the southern Gaza town of Rafah ahead of an Israeli military operation. Israel says Rafah is Hamas' last stronghold.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the terror group Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024
News of Hamas' announcement sent people in Rafah cheering in the streets.
In recent days, Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the cease-fire would take place in a series of stages in which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza.
It is not clear whether the deal will meet Hamas' key demand of bringing about an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
