Hamas has an experienced propaganda department. It showed when they announced acceptance of a cease-fire deal just in time for the Israeli main evening TV news. In previous cease-fire deals they regularly fired rockets just minutes before the agreements went into effect in order to claim they were still fighting. This evening the announcement was carefully aimed to make it look like Hamas had accepted the deal, but the only conditions mentioned were items THEY wanted. Hostages weren’t mentioned. He lack of other details may mean that what they agreed to is not the same text that Israel had presented. The timing and wording was designed to make their supporters happy, and to make it appear like Israel would be responsible if the deal falls through. I realize that this is all speculation, because there is a total lack of information beyond what Hamas released. At the time I’m writing this there has not been any confirmation from the US or Israel.
My feeling is that this is a desperate attempt to prevent an Israeli incursion into Rafah. In other words, another delaying tactic intended to prolong the de facto cease-fire. I’ll continue this in a few hours, after I’ve had time to see if there are more details about just what Hamas is accepting.
Continuation: It seems that there are differences (as I suspected). What is happening is that IDF troops are taking control of the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing to Egypt (and probably the border road (Philadelphia Route).
There have been some ‘shoot from the hip’ responses, including a Hamas threat to kill all the hostages (not really believable, what else have they got to bargain with?).
Now I have to stop because there is a funeral of another resident of our village, a reservist who was killed by a drone in Metulla.
Wetherhorn 