Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of violating parts of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement announced the day before.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that his cabinet would not sign the deal until Hamas agreed to all parts of the deal.
“Hamas has reneged on parts of the agreement reached between mediators and Israel in order to force last-minute concessions,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement Thursday. “Israel's cabinet will not convene until the mediator informs Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”
It was not immediately clear whether the statement reflected efforts by at least one far-right member to maintain an unstable coalition government. threatened to interfere Whether an agreement was reached or whether a cease-fire was in jeopardy.
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the group is “adhering to the ceasefire agreement announced by the mediator,” according to the Associated Press.
The deal, which is scheduled to come into force on Sunday, will bring relief to the nearly 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and bring dozens of hostages to Israel who have been held since Hamas' first attack on October 7, 2023. It will be possible to return it. This opens the door to a possible end to more than a year of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said some details of the deal were still being worked out, but said it expected it to be “finalized tonight.”
Israel's Security Cabinet must vote to accept ceasefire terms, followed by a second vote in Israel's parliament, the Knesset. If passed, both groups would also have time to appeal the agreement to the Supreme Court.
The outline of the agreement is broadly similar to President Biden's May proposal to begin a cease-fire and put the United States on a path to ending the war. The proposal was approved by the UN Security Council in a June vote.
The first phase of the complex agreement begins with a six-week ceasefire and the release of 33 hostages, including two Americans, of an estimated 94 living and dead hostages held by the US-designated terrorist organization since October. 7. In the first phase, civilian women, female soldiers, children, the elderly and the sick will be released.
During this time, Israel will begin withdrawing its troops from the so-called “populated areas” of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli and Hamas negotiators, mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, will use this time to work toward a second phase and agree on terms for permanently extending the ceasefire and ending the war. I'll train it. Humanitarian aid will also flood the Strip at this early stage.
In remarks from the White House on Wednesday, Biden said the ceasefire should be extended if negotiations on a second phase of the deal take longer than six weeks.
“Negotiations will move forward as long as necessary,” Biden said.
The second phase will begin with an exchange of Israeli soldiers with the remaining living hostages, including men of military age. Hamas also holds a third Israeli-American, Edan Alexander, who was serving in the Israel Defense Forces at the time of his abduction on October 7.
Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza and “the temporary ceasefire will become permanent,” Biden said.
The third phase of the agreement is expected to include the release of the remains of the murdered hostages.
Both Biden and President-elect Trump took credit for the agreement.
Laura Kelly also contributed.
