YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS.  Israel has given Hamas a week to agree to a cease-fire deal or it will go ahead with its military operation in Rafah,  The Wall Street Journal reports.

The newspaper reported earlier that the top leader of Palestine’s radical movement HAMAS in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, would not accept a ceasefire deal with Israel if it did not contain "a credible path to ending the war."

According to the report, the offer would include a first phase lasting up to 40 days in which up to 33 Israeli hostages would be released. Around this time, the sides would begin negotiations for a more permanent ceasefire. The second phase would last for at least six weeks and see the sides agree to a larger hostage release and commit to a further pause in fighting that could last up to a year.