Targeted attacks against Hamas in eastern Rafah are carried out by the Israeli army.

The Israeli prime minister said on Monday night that the War Council had “given the green light” for the continuation of the military operation in Rafah in order to put further pressure on Hamas to release the hostages.

At the same time, in a statement from Netanyahu’s office, it is noted that although the truce proposal accepted by Hamas does not satisfy Israel’s demands, a delegation will be sent to meet with negotiators and try to reach an agreement.

The White House said it is reviewing the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ response to a proposal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, as it continues to press Israel to halt plans for a ground invasion of Rafah.

CIA Director William Burns is in the area and having discussions about the proposal, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

He declined to elaborate, saying he did not want to jeopardize any progress toward a deal.

“We want to secure the release of these hostages, we want to secure a six-week ceasefire, we want to increase humanitarian aid,” Kirby said, adding that a deal would be “the absolute best outcome.”“.

Earlier, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States was reviewing Hamas’ response to a ceasefire proposal and would discuss it with allies in the Middle East in the coming hours.

“I can confirm that Hamas has given a response. We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region,” Miller said, confirming that a response had been received in the last hour or 90 minutes and that discussions would take place on next hours.

CIA Director Bill Burns is in the area “working on this in real time,” Miller said.

Hamas said today that it has accepted a proposal from Egypt and Qatar for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Palestinian Islamist organization said in a statement that its leader, Ismail Haniya, he informed the prime minister of Qatar and the head of Egypt’s intelligence services that he accepted their proposal.

The ceasefire proposal agreed to by Hamas is a three-phase deal, each lasting 42 days, the Palestinian Islamist group’s deputy head in Gaza told Qatari television network Al Jazeera.

Khalil al-Haya also said that the second phase of the agreement foresees the complete withdrawal of Israel from Gaza.

Hamas reportedly accepted a middle ground close to Egypt’s proposal which however was not accepted by Israel.

As an Israeli official pointed out,a cease-fire in Gaza had not been agreed since the proposal Hamas reportedly accepted included “long-term conclusions” that Israel could not accept.

“We have received the proposal and we are looking into it. It is not the framework we had agreed to. We are looking into it,” said the official, who requested anonymity.

He did not elaborate on the content of the document.

The representative of the Israeli army additionally stated that all proposals concerning negotiations for the release of hostages in Gaza are being seriously considered, and that at the same time the army continues to operate in the area under the administration of Hamas.

Asked during a press briefing whether Hamas’ statement that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal would affect the planned attack on the Gaza city of Rafah, Rear Admiral Daniel Haggari said: “We are looking at every response and response in the most serious way and we are exhausting every possibility concerning negotiations and return of hostages”.

“At the same time, we are still operating in the Gaza Strip and will continue to do so,” he said.