The Israeli War Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, agreed this Monday to continue “the operation” in Rafah, southern Gaza, but agreed for a delegation to meet with mediators to continue negotiating a possible ceasefire.

“Although the Hamas proposal is far from meeting Israel’s requirements“Israel will send a delegation of mediators to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement under acceptable conditions,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The message comes after the head of Hamas’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, confirmed to the negotiators of Egypt and Qatar that the Islamist group accepted a ceasefire proposal in Gaza, hours after the Israeli order to evacuate east Rafah.

At the same time that Israel responded to Hamas’ announcement, the Israeli Army intensively bombed the southern city, where more than a million displaced people came to seek refuge after the start of the war. The Israeli Army said tonight that it was bombing “Hamas targets” in the east of Rafah, without giving more details, although Palestinian media confirmed that some of these attacks are taking place on areas with a civilian population that this morning received a military order to stop. evacuation.

The Army “is currently carrying out targeted attacks against Hamas terrorist targets in eastern Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip,” the Armed Forces said in a statement, announcing that it would soon there would be more details.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, confirmed Israeli attacks in the city of Rafah against “roads, agricultural land, residential houses and farms” in the eastern neighborhoods of Al Salam and Al Jinaina, among others, which coincide with some of the places listed this morning by the Army in its evacuation order.

Despite the heavy bombing, as EFE was able to verify on the ground, the Israeli troops and tanks were currently They remain on the other side of the fence in southern Gaza. In a Hebrew press conference overnight Monday, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops were preparing for a ground raid on Rafah after giving the evacuation order this morning.

Hamas warned Israeli forces on Monday that any military operation in Rafah “it won’t be a picnic”, and that the group’s armed wing, the al Qasam Brigades, are prepared to “defend our people.”