Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire; Israel presses Rafah attacks but says will continue talks

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday (May 6). - Photo: AP

JERUSALEM (AP): Hamas announced its acceptance on Monday (May 6) of an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, but Israel said the deal did not meet its "core demands” and that it was pushing ahead with an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Still, Israel said it would continue negotiations.

The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive - but only barely - for an accord that could bring at least a pause in the seven-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip.