Benjamin Netanyahu – the Israeli Prime Minister – accused Hamas of violating a ceasefire to release hostages and end a more than a year-long conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that the Cabinet would not vote on a Gaza ceasefire agreement until Hamas apologized for what they called a “last-minute crisis”.
Without going into details, Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas that it was trying to “extort concessions in the last minute” by reversing a part of the deal.
This deal was expected to be ratified by the Israeli cabinet on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the agreement will be implemented over three phases.
Biden said that the first stage would last six weeks. The first phase will involve a total ceasefire and the removal of Israeli troops from the populated areas of Gaza.
Biden said that Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the freedom of Palestinians. Palestinians would be able to “return home and neighborhood in Gaza” as well as receive humanitarian aid.
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.”
Earlier, the office of Netanyahu accused Hamas of pulling out of a deal that would have granted Israel a veto over which murderers would be exchanged for hostages in exchange for prisoners.
The terms of the agreement state that 33 hostages would be released within the next six weeks as a result hundreds of Palestinians were held by Israel. Israeli troops are expected to retreat from many areas. The deal will allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return home and an influx of humanitarian aid can be expected.
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages, including the male soldiers, without a complete Israeli withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire. Israel has, however, promised to fight until the group dismantles and retains control over the territory.
Netanyahu is facing intense pressure from within his own country to return the hostages. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to overthrow his government if he makes too many concessions. However, the opposition has backed him to accept an accord. This will only weaken Netanyahu’s coalition.
Zaher al-Wahedi, head of the ministry’s registration department, told The Associated Press, that about half of the victims are women and children. Zaher said that hospitals may update their records and the death toll could rise.
Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. are meeting in Cairo on Thursday to discuss the implementation. They finally reached an agreement with Israel and Hamas, after a year-long indirect dialogue.
Both the Trump team and the departing administration claim credit for a breakthrough in the final negotiations.
According to the Health Ministry, Israel’s offensive in Gaza resulted in more than 46,000 deaths. Most of them were women and children. The Health Ministry does not specify exactly how many militants have been killed. Israel has claimed to have killed over 17,000 militants but without any proof.
The United Nations reports that the war in Gaza has destroyed vast areas and forced 90% (2.3 million people) to flee.
