Hamas accepts Gaza cease-fire; Israel to continue talks but launches strikes [Video]

After Hamas on Monday announced its acceptance of an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, Israel said its leaders approved a military operation in the southern Gaza town of Rafah and began striking targets in the area. Still, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would send negotiators to continue talks on the deal. 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 7-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip. Hanging over the wrangling was the threat of an all-out Israeli assault on Rafah, a move that the United States strongly opposes and that aid groups warn will be disastrous for some 1.4 million Palestinians taking refuge there.Hamas’s abrupt acceptance of the cease-fire deal came hours after Israel ordered an evacuation of Palestinians from eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, signaling an invasion was …