Hamas agreement, public protests put pressure on Israel to reach ceasefire deal

After 24 hours of fast-breaking and often contradictory actions by both Hamas and Israel's government, a ceasefire in their catastrophic seven-month war still feels distant. 

Yet a flurry of diplomatic activity could put the two sides closer to a deal than they've been in months.

When the news broke Monday afternoon that Hamas's leadership in Qatar had agreed to the terms of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, Israel's government appeared caught off-guard.

The immediate reaction from Israeli media commentators was that it was a "trap" — not a sincere gesture, but rather a ploy to shift the blame for the failure of a ceasefire onto Israel.

Hamas's negotiators had reportedly spent the day in Doha, Qatar, with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, and the "deal" they accepted came out of those discussions — which didn't include Israel.

Unnamed senior Israeli government officials told Reuters the conditions proposed by Hamas were unacceptable in their current form.

It was unclear what the deal entailed until Tuesday morning, when several international media outlets published details of what Hamas had reportedly agreed to. The terms included Israel initially halting the war for 42 days, followed by the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees, along with freedom for some of the hostages held in Gaza.

The number of hostages Hamas suggested it would release — 33 — is reportedly lower than the 40 Israel had demanded. The Palestinian militant group also proposed reaching that number by including the bodies of some of the hostages who have died while in captivity.

It's unclear how many of the estimated 134 hostages are still alive, but in February, Israel said it believed at least 31 had perished after more than seven months of harsh conditions in captivity.

Last week, Hamas released so-called proof of life videos for several hostages, including their heart-wrenching pleas for Israel's government to agree to Hamas's conditions for sending them home.

In response to Hamas's agreement to a supposed deal on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office released a statement dismissing the move and vowing that its long-anticipated invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah — where more than 1.3 million people have sought shelter from the war — would proceed.

The goal, said the statement, was "to exert military pressure on Hamas to advance the release of our hostages."

The United Nations, the European Union and a multitude of human rights groups have warned that an Israeli invasion of the Rafah area will be a "bloodbath" and will tip the already dire hunger and humanitarian crisis in the territory into a catastrophic new phase.

The United States — Israel's largest political and military benefactor — has also said it is opposed to Israel expanding the war into Rafah, and has reportedly held up a recent shipment of ammunition as a warning not to proceed.