Israel today accepted an Egyptian-proposed ceasefire plan to halt its deadly nine-day offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed 192 Palestinians even as the Israeli premier warned that the operation would be intensified if Hamas militants refuse to accept the truce.
But the Palestinian militant group rejected the ceasefire proposal calling it a "surrender".
Despite Hamas' rejection of the ceasefire plan, which came into effect at 9 AM local time, the truce has largely held with several hours of lull in violence since morning.
"If Hamas doesn't accept the ceasefire proposal -- and that's how it seems at this point in time -- Israel will have all the international legitimacy to broaden its military activity (in Gaza) in order to achieve the necessary quiet," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
He said Israel wanted "the demilitarisation" of Gaza and would respond "with force" to any further rocket fire.
Israel's security cabinet and the coalition partners in Netanyahu's government, however, were divided on the decision to accept the ceasefire proposal with vociferous opposition raised by some key leaders.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman voted against the ceasefire plan, as did Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett.
Besides Netanyahu, Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and ministers Gilad Erdan and Yitzhak Aharonovich voted in favour of the ceasefire proposal under Egyptian mediation.
Under the proposed Egyptian ceasefire plan, Israel will stop its aerial and naval attacks on Gaza, specifically refraining from any ground incursion into the Strip.
Hamas, as per the plan, will rein in the Palestinian factions and work to put an end to all types of attacks on Israel, including by rockets, sea or even underground tunnels.
"If the offer is what was reported, then it is surrender. We'll intensity our fight against the enemy," Hamas' armed wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement.
Hamas spokesman Fauzi Barhoum also said that the Egyptian ceasefire offer was unacceptable.
"A ceasefire without an agreement is out of the question. During a war, you don't hold your fire and only then start negotiating," he said.
Hamas political bureau member, Ezzat Rishq, was quoted in local media as saying that the Egyptian initiative was not discussed with Hamas, Islamic Jihad or one of the other factions in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the death toll from Israel's military campaign in Gaza today rose to 192, after six more Palestinians died, four of them in strikes before Israel accepted the ceasefire.
More than 1,300 Palestinians, including women and children, have been wounded since the offensive started on July 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.
So far, no Israelis have been killed in the fighting.
