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Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza.
In a statement Monday, Hamas said the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, told the Qatari prime minister and Egyptian intelligence minister that the militant group had accepted their proposal.
There is growing evidence of an imminent IDF operation into the town of Rafah. In the past couple of days, satellite imagery revealed the construction of several new tent compounds in southern Gaza and the IDF has mobilized two northern reserve brigades into the Gaza Strip.
In a Passover public address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to “land additional and painful blows” upon Hamas in order to “increase the military and diplomatic pressure” on the terror organization to release all of the hostages.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had launched a drone attack against Israeli military bases north of the city of Acre, in its deepest strike into Israeli territory since the Gaza war began.
The IDF said it had no knowledge of any of its facilities being hit by Hezbollah, but had said earlier on Tuesday that it intercepted two “aerial targets” off Israel’s northern coast.
A military base in Iraq housing a pro-Iranian militia has been damaged in an explosion, killing one and wounding eight, security officials there have said.
Iraq’s military reported no drones or fighter jets in the area before or during the blast.
Iran launched drones from its own territory toward Israel late Saturday, days after its Supreme Leader warned it would hit back in response to an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria that left several generals dead.
Earlier Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had for weeks “been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran.”