Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated his cabinet will not meet as scheduled to approve the Gaza ceasefire deal, blaming Hamas for causing a “last-minute crisis”.
The Israeli cabinet was set to meet on Thursday morning to ratify the deal, with the ceasefire scheduled to take effect from Sunday.
“Hamas reneges on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last minute concessions,” a statement from Netanyahu said.
“The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” it added.
Following the Israeli announcement, senior Hamas official, Izzat al-Risheq, announced in a statement that the Palestinian group was committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday.
According to the Israel’s broadcaster Kan, one of the reasons behind the postponement of the meeting could be that far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had not yet informed Netanyahu whether his party will leave the government in protest against the planned agreement.
Earlier, several Israeli families, together with supporters, staged a sit-in in front of Netanyahu’s office, calling for the cabinet to not sign the prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
Qatar announced on Wednesday a cease-fire agreement to end over 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the 3-phase deal will be effective on Sunday.
The deal includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
More than 46,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children were killed and over 110,000 others injured in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.
The war has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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