Hours after hope filled the Middle East from the news that negotiators had secured a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas, concern took over as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging on conditions.
The agreement, which would see a six-week pause in conflict and the release of hostages in three phases, was set to commence on January 19, pending a vote from the Israeli Cabinet approving the deal.
“Hamas has reneged on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions,” a statement from Mr Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday morning local time, nearly 12 hours after the deal was reached.
“The Israeli Cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”
Now, sources close to the negotiations have stated that the ceasefire agreement has been pushed back until Friday, buying Mr Netanyahu more time to manage a growing fallout within his Government over whether the deal should be accepted and proceed.
Hamas senior official Izzat el-Reshiq said the group remained committed to the ceasefire deal, agreed to a day earlier, that was scheduled to take effect from Sunday to bring an end to 15 months of bloodshed.
US President Joe Biden’s envoy Brett McGurk and President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff were in Doha with Egyptian and Qatari mediators working to resolve the last remaining dispute, a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
The dispute involves the identities of several prisoners Hamas is demanding be released and it is expected to be resolved soon, the US official said.
Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke late on Thursday evening, calling the deal “terrible” and warned of multiple resignations if the agreement goes ahead.
“This is a terrible deal and if it will actually go through, we members of Otzma Yehudit will give letters of resignation to the Prime Minister, we will no longer be part of the government and we will leave it.”
The Otzma Yehudit party is a far-right group within Israel’s political landscape and is seen as an ideological descendant of the now-outlawed Kach party.
The group advocates for the deportation of “enemies of Israel”.
Other hardliners in Mr Netanyahu’s government were still hoping to stop the deal although a majority of ministers were expected to back it.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Party said in a statement that its condition for remaining in the government would be a return to fighting at the end of the first phase of the deal, in order to destroy Hamas and bring all the hostages back.
As Israel prepares to vote on the ceasefire agreement on Friday, conflict in the region continues.
While people celebrated the pact in the Gaza Strip and Israel, Israel’s military conducted more attacks according to the civil emergency service and residents.
Gaza’s health ministry said at least 81 people had been killed over the past 24 hours and about 188 injured.
The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said at least 77 of those were killed since the ceasefire announcement.
The Israeli military is looking into the reports, a military spokesperson said.
More to come
– with Reuters
https://thewest.com.au/news/world/israel-hamas-ceasefire-agreement-vote-delayed-until-friday-israeli-politicians-threaten-resignation-c-17414581
