(Bloomberg) -- Israel rejected a statement from Hamas that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal to end the fighting in Gaza, saying its forces would continue their operation in Rafah to eradicate the Palestinian militant group.

Even so, Israel will send a delegation to join mediators “to exhaust the possibility of reaching an agreement under conditions acceptable to Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. 

Qatar and Egypt have been mediating indirect talks in Cairo in a bid to end the fighting that began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and Israeli forces launched a retaliation that has devastated much of the Gaza Strip.

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