After Hamas Accepts Cease-fire Proposal For Gaza War, Israel Expands Fighting [Video]

Hamas on Monday agreed to a proposal for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza, but Israel soon afterwards said it would expand its U.S.-backed offensive in the Palestinian enclave — dashing hopes that diplomacy led by the Biden administration would bear fruit soon.

Basem Naim, the chief of Hamas’ political and foreign relations department and a member of its Gaza bureau, had told HuffPost that Hamas accepted ideas crafted by Qatar and Egypt amid intensive negotiations that involved the U.S. It was “early” to reveal terms of the plan, Naim said.

Israeli officials quickly questioned the bargain to which Hamas was referring, suggesting it was nowhere near anything Israel had offered. Diplomatic sources told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that was untrue, saying the deal resembled an offer previously accepted by Israel.

Shortly thereafter, the Israeli cabinet announcedthat it saw Hamas’ position as “far from Israel’s necessary requirements” and it would continue ratcheting up …