Israel-Gaza updates: 300,000 have fled Rafah, UN agency says
Israel called again on Saturday for civilians to leave parts of the city.
As the Israel-Hamas war crosses the seven-month mark, renewed negotiations are underway to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, as Israeli forces continue to prepare for an apparent invasion of the southern Gazan town of Rafah.
Latest headlines:
- White House National Security Advisor speaks to Israeli counterpart, expresses concern over pending Rafah invasion
- 300,000 have fled Rafah, UN agency says
- Biden admin says it's 'reasonable to assess' Israel violated International law with US arms
- Hamas says cease-fire talks are 'back to square one'
- UNGA passes resolution calling on Security Council to reconsider Palestinian membership
Israeli army continues attacks in Rafah even as delegation sent to negotiate cease-fire
With negotiations underway for a cease-fire agreement, Israel’s war cabinet said they would continue military operations in Rafah.
Israel will also send a delegation of mediators to work on a possible deal.
There have been at least 50 IDF strikes Monday on Rafah, officials said.
Israel has received response from Hamas on cease-fire proposal
A senior Israeli official with knowledge of negotiations said they have received a response from Hamas on a cease-fire proposal.
It is not the same proposal that had been under discussion, the official said, adding that it will now be studied.
It will take some time before Israel officially responds, the official added.
Israel’s war cabinet is now holding a discussion, according to an Israeli political source.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel will study every option to bring home hostages, including the latest response from Hamas, and said they would continue operations in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the Israeli Hostage Center urged the government to accept the deal. "We welcome the announcement by Hamas to promote the ceasefire, which promotes the return of the 132 abductees who have been held captive by Hamas for 7 months," it said. "Now is the time for the Israeli government to prove in action its commitment to its citizens -- the cabinet must take the consent of Hamas and turn it into a deal for the return of all! The return of the kidnapped is the key to Israeli security!"
-ABC News' Jordana Miller and William Gretsky
US still trying to get full understanding of deal Hamas has accepted
The United States said it could confirm Hamas had issued a response to a recent cease-fire proposal, but is still trying to figure out the details of the apparent deal.
"We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a briefing. "As you know, [CIA] Director [Bill] Burns is in the region working on this in real time. We will be discussing this response with our partners over the coming hours. We continue to believe that they asked them to do what is in the best interest of the Israeli people."
But Miller didn’t suggest the U.S. had a full understanding of exactly what Hamas had agreed to yet.
"We have only received a response in the last hour, 90 minutes," he said. "So I don't want to characterize the nature of that just yet."
Miller also declined to say whether the U.S. believes the military and political factions of Hamas were on the same page.
"I'm just not going to speak for Hamas at all, as we have said for some time, there has been a significant offer on the table. The ball has been in Hamas’ court, we have made clear that they should accept that offer," he said.
-ABC News' Shannon K. Crawford
Hamas says it has accepted proposal regarding cease-fire agreement
Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, said in a statement the group has called the prime minister of Qatar and Egyptian minister of intelligence "and informed them of the Hamas movement's approval of their proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement."
While few specifics were provided, senior Hamas leader Taher Al-Nono said the proposal "includes a ceasefire, reconstruction, the return of the displaced, and the liberation of prisoners."
Al-Nono said representatives would visit Cairo in the near future to discuss the agreement.
A deal has not been confirmed or commented on by other parties, including Israel. ABC News has requested comment from Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. on the apparent agreement.
-ABC News' Nasser Atta
Biden admin says it's 'reasonable to assess' Israel violated International law with US arms
A new report from the United States Departments of State and Defense said that given "Israel's significant reliance on U.S.-made defense articles" it is "reasonable to assess" that some have been used in instances "inconsistent" with Israel's obligation under international law.
The assessment, which came as part of a report ordered by President Joe Biden, examined the use of U.S.-supplied arms in active conflict zones, and also said that the U.S. could not compile enough evidence to prove that the country used American defense articles in violation of international humanitarian law.
"We do not have complete information to verify whether US defense articles covered under NSM-20 were specifically used in actions that have been alleged as violations of IHL (international humanitarian law) or international human rights law during the period of the report," the document says. "The nature of the conflict in Gaza makes it difficult to address or reach conclusive findings on individual incidents."
While the report said the Israeli government has "the knowledge, experience, and tools" to implement "best practices for mitigating civilian harm," the high number of civilian casualties "raise substantial questions about whether the IDF is using them effectively in all cases."
Additionally, the report noted that Israel did not cooperate with U.S. efforts to ramp up humanitarian aid and distribution in Gaza during the initial months of the conflict, but that officials have observed improvements.
-ABC News' Shannon Crawford and Anne Flaherty