Israel is "in a hurry to make their position clear" after Hamas said it approved a ceasefire proposal from mediators Egypt and Qatar, and should give its answer "within hours," an expert tells AFP. "The threat of military action might have spurred Hamas to agree to a ceasefire agreement," says Paul Salem, president & CEO of the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank, of the Israeli army's many calls for evacuations in Rafah as it prepares for a "ground operation." SOUNDBITES