The Palestinian resistance group Hamas says it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal to halt seven-month war with Israel.
It issued a statement on Monday saying its supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar's prime minister and Egypt's intelligence minister.
The two Middle Eastern nations have been mediating months of talks between Israel and Hamas.
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Rafah ground invasion
Meanwhile, the Israeli army ordered about 100,000 Palestinians on Monday to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah in Gaza, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent and further complicating efforts to broker a ceasefire.
Israel's closest allies, including the United States, have repeatedly said that Israel shouldn't attack Rafah.
The looming operation has raised global alarm over the fate of around 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there.
Aid agencies have warned that an offensive will worsen Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe and bring a surge of more civilian deaths in an Israeli campaign that in nearly seven months has killed more than 34,000 people and devastated the territory.
Concerns voiced
US President Joe Biden spoke on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated US concerns about an invasion of Rafah.
Biden said that a ceasefire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, a National Security Council spokesperson said on condition of anonymity to discuss the call before an official White House statement was released.
Hamas and key mediator Qatar said that invading Rafah will derail efforts by international mediators to broker a ceasefire.
Days earlier, Hamas had been discussing a US-backed proposal that reportedly raised the possibility of an end to the war and a pullout of Israeli troops in return for the release of all hostages held by the group.
Israel rejects proposal
Israeli officials have rejected that trade-off, vowing to continue their war against Hamas.
Netanyahu said on Monday that seizing Rafah, which Israel says is the last significant Hamas stronghold in Gaza, was vital to ensuring the group can't rebuild their military capabilities.
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