Hamas says it accepts truce proposal of Egypt and Qatar

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

The announcement came hours after Israel ordered Palestinians to begin leaving the southern Gaza town of Rafah ahead of an Israeli military operation.

Israeli officials says Rafah is Hamas' last stronghold.

News of Hamas' announcement sent people in Rafah cheering in the streets.

Details of the proposal were not immediately released. 

But in recent days, Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the ceasefire would take place in a series of stages in which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza.

There had been concerns that the ceasefire talks being held in Cairo had stalled after Hamas official Izzat al-Rashiq warned that any Israeli operation in Rafah would put the truce talks in jeopardy.

The city, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, has been the last sanctuary for about half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, pushed south by Israel's seven-month-old assault.

with AP