Hamas said on Monday night it had informed Egypt and Qatar of its "approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire" in the conflict, prompting cheering crowds to take to the streets of Rafah. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the proposal was "far from Israel's essential demands", but the government would send negotiators for talks "to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement". In the meantime, it added, "Israel is continuing the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to advance the release of our hostages and the other objectives of the war". More information with our International Affairs Editor, Philip Turtle.
