A leading source in the Hamas movement said this evening, in statements to Al Jazeera, “We informed the Qatari and Egyptian mediators of our agreement to their proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas movement said in a statement: “Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas movement’s political bureau, made a phone call with the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and with the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence, Mr. Abbas Kamel, and informed them of the Hamas movement’s approval of their proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement.”

Earlier, Egyptian media reported that a delegation from the Hamas movement would arrive in the capital, Cairo, on Tuesday, to complete prisoner exchange negotiations with Israel and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

This came according to what the private “Cairo Channel” news reported, citing a source it described as “high-ranking” without naming him, coinciding with Israel’s announcement today of the start of a military operation in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, which it claimed was “limited in scope.”

According to a brief statement from the same source, “A Hamas delegation intends to arrive in Cairo early Tuesday to complete ceasefire negotiations,” without further details.