Israel has given Hamas a week to agree to a cease-fire deal or it will begin a military operation in Rafah, Egyptian officials briefed on the matter said Friday, as the militant group stalls for better terms that would ensure its survival.   

Egypt worked with Israel on a revised cease-fire proposal that it presented to Hamas last weekend, according to Egyptian officials. Hamas’s political leadership was expected to consult with its military wing in Gaza and respond on the proposal. But Yahya Sinwar, the group’s military leader in Gaza, who is believed to be hiding in tunnels in the enclave and makes the final decisions, hasn’t responded, the officials said. ...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visiting Israel on Wednesday, said that it was up to Hamas to accept the cease-fire deal that is on the table. Asked about Netanyahu’s threats to attack Rafah regardless, he said the Israeli prime minister could speak for himself. “Hamas will have to make its own judgments,” about the threats on Rafah, he told reporters at the port of Ashdod.