Hamas says it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar – as Israel suggests it will not accept the proposal in its current form.

The Palestinian militant group has issued a statement saying its supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had expressed his agreement in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister.

A Hamas official has said the group will send a delegation to visit the Egyptian capital Cairo to discuss the ceasefire proposal and the next steps.

An Israeli official has said Hamas has agreed to a “softened” proposal which is “not acceptable to Israel”.

The official added that Hamas’ announcement “appears to be a ruse to cast Israel as the side refusing a deal”.

Egypt and Qatar have been mediating months of talks between Hamas and Israel.

Middle East latest: Follow live updates

Hamas has agreed to the proposed ceasefire hours after Israel ordered Palestinians to begin evacuating the southern Gaza town of Rafah ahead of an Israeli military operation.

Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold.

News of the 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 stages in which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza.

It is not clear whether the deal will meet Hamas’ key demand of bringing about an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal.

The ceasefire would mark the first pause in fighting since a temporary truce ended in late November.

That week-long pause saw about 105 Hamas-held hostages released from Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails set free.

Hamas said it was going into negotiations in Cairo with a “positive spirit” in a statement on Friday, adding it was “determined to secure an agreement in a way that fulfils Palestinians’ demands”.

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Russia has warned that Ukrainian strikes on its territory with UK-supplied weapons could bring retaliatory attacks against British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere.

During a trip to Kyiv last week, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said Ukraine “absolutely has the right” to strike back at targets inside Russia using British-supplied weapons.

Russia’s foreign ministry said the UK’s ambassador to Moscow had been “summoned” to make him “reflect on the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps by London”.

The UK’s Foreign Office, however, contested the claim saying the ambassador had not been “summoned” but he had just taken part in a diplomatic meeting with ministry officials.

British ambassador Nigel Casey was called in for a formal protest, the Russian foreign ministry claimed, as it said Lord Cameron’s remarks recognised that Britain – which has given Ukraine billions of pounds worth of weapons to defend itself in the war against Russia – was now de-facto a part of the conflict.

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“Casey was warned that in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory with British weapons, any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and abroad could be targeted,” the foreign ministry said.

“The ambassador was called upon to reflect on the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps by London and immediately refute the belligerent provocative statements of the head of the Foreign Office in the most decisive and unambiguous way.”

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement: “The British Ambassador was not summoned. He met Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials for a diplomatic meeting.

“The Ambassador reiterated the UK’s support for Ukraine in the face of unprovoked Russian aggression, and restated the UK’s position on providing support to Ukraine.”

During Lord Cameron’s visit to Ukraine last week, the foreign secretary reiterated Britain’s unwavering support for Ukraine, whose troops have been fighting Russia’s invasion since the Kremlin launched its “special military operation” in February 2022.

“Ukraine has that right. Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it’s defending itself,” Lord Cameron said.

Senior Israeli officials have been threatening a major military operation into the city of Rafah and surrounding areas in southern Gaza for weeks.

On Sunday, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant warned it could take place “imminently” as talks on a ceasefire with Hamas fizzled-out in Cairo.

Now, they have taken a major step towards it.

War latest: Families flee Rafah as IDF orders 100,000 to evacuate

On Monday morning, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released a statement instructing people in southeastern Gaza to advance towards an “expanded humanitarian area” to the north, centred around the city of Khan Younis, and a coastal community called Al-Mawasi.

The IDF said it “includes field hospitals, tents and increased amounts of food, water, medication and additional supplies”.

The claim will be greeted with scepticism by international aid agencies that have argued the Israelis have failed to do enough to facilitate such aid.

The UN’s refugee agency in Gaza, UNRWA, immediately questioned the operation on X.

UNRWA said an offensive “would mean more civilian suffering and deaths” and that “the consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people”.

The vast majority of people living in southern Gaza have already been displaced by the fighting further north.

And in what represents a significant juncture, the Israelis are instructing them to return to areas that have already badly damaged in this conflict.

Khan Younis was placed under siege by the IDF in January and many neighbourhoods have been partially – or completely – destroyed.

However, there are no doubts about the Israelis’ intent.

Leaflets are now being dropped in southeastern Gaza, stating: “Anyone in the area puts themselves and their family members in danger. For your safety, evacuate immediately….”

With this operation, Israel would test the very limits of support that it receives from Western countries like the US, the UK and members of the European Union.

Last week, US secretary of state Antony Blinken suggested an incursion into Rafah was a step too far, warning the Israelis had yet to produce “a clear, credible plan to protect civilians”.

Until it does, Mr Blinken said Washington “cannot and will not support a major military operation” in the area.

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Now, Israel’s chief ally and military backer will have to formulate a response, one which requires them to evaluate the nature and extent of this complicated relationship.

But it seems Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet have made up their minds.