Palestinian president hails efforts of Egypt, Qatar for Gaza ceasefire deal

Ramallah, May 7 (IANS) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed on Monday the efforts of Egypt and Qatar to mediate a ceasefire agreement for the Gaza Strip.In a statement published by the Palestinian news agency (WAFA), Abbas expressed hope for Israel's commitment to "ceasefire and complete withdrawal from the Strip".The President urged the international community to pressure Israel to agree to a ceasefire and continue efforts to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, Xinhua news agency reported.Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas said that it had informed mediators in Egypt and Qatar that it approved the ceasefire proposal for the Gaza Strip.Hamas said in a statement that Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's political bureau chief, made phone calls with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel separately to inform them of the decision.Hamas's announcement came hours after the Israeli army demanded around 100,000 residents in the eastern area of Rafah in southern Gaza evacuate to the Al-Mawasi area, southwest of the Strip.--IANSint/sd/khz

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