Israel Said to Clear Final Obstacles to Gaza Ceasefire Deal as Hostage Families Remain in Turmoil

The last obstacles to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal had been ironed out, and Israel’s security cabinet was set to approve it on Friday, Israeli officials said on Thursday evening.

The news came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the agreement earlier in the day, accusing the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas of reneging on previously agreed-upon terms.

A US source, cited by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, also confirmed that the differences had been resolved. Meanwhile, a senior US official vowed the deal would proceed by Sunday — a day ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Although Qatari and American mediators announced on Wednesday that the deal had been finalized, Israeli officials refused to issue a confirmation, and on Thursday said last-minute obstacles had emerged.

The sticking points center on the list of Palestinian prisoners who have been detained in Israel largely for involvement in terrorist activities to be released in exchange for the hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza after being kidnapped during Hamas’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Hamas had attempted to overturn a key clause in the agreement that grants Israel veto power over the release of high-profile inmates who are considered “symbols of terrorism,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said. Israel has also accused Hamas of “demanding to dictate the identity of these murderers,” in direct contradiction to the previously agreed-upon terms.

According to Israeli Channel 12 journalist Chaim Levinson, Hamas is insisting on the release of Hassan Salameh, the mastermind of the Bus 18 suicide bombings in Jerusalem in the 1990s, in which 46 Israelis were killed.

Additional disagreements reportedly involve logistical issues, such as control over the Philadelphia Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border.

The strategic border strip has been a significant point of contention in the ceasefire and hostage-release discussions. Israel has insisted on maintaining a military presence in the corridor to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza, citing several dozen tunnels unearthed there. Officials on Thursday denied that Israel had agreed to withdraw its forces from it as part of the deal.

But Aryeh Deri — a member of Israel’s parliament, known as the Knesset, where he serves as the head of the Shas party that is part of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition — said on Thursday that he had received a “final announcement that all obstacles have been overcome and the deal is underway.”

“I want to congratulate Prime Minister Netanyahu — as he is responsible for the agreement,” he told his party.

Despite the lingering challenges earlier in the day, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby expressed confidence that the deal would proceed on Sunday.

“We’re aware of these issues that the prime minister has raised today, this afternoon, their time, and we’re working through that. Our team on the ground is actually working with him and his team to iron all this out and flatten it and get it moving forward,” Kirby told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

For families of the hostages, the delay has exacerbated an already unbearable wait.

“These truly are probably the most stressful days we’ve experienced in over a year since the last deal,” said Udi Goren, whose cousin Tal Haimi’s body remains in Hamas custody. Haimi was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, along with more than 1,200 others when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists invaded southern Israel. His body was taken to Gaza. His wife, Ella Haimi, gave birth to the couple’s fourth child in May.

“For us, we have seen so many disappointments over these past 15 months. You know, if this saying were ever true — ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.'”

Emotions have run high, especially among bereaved families whose loved ones were killed by terrorists, many of whom oppose the deal, fearing it will lead to further terrorism down the line. Protests by those opposing the deal took place on Wednesday and Thursday evening in Jerusalem.

Israel Hayom journalist Ariel Kahana sharply criticized the role of Trump in pressuring Israel to finalize the emerging hostage deal, arguing it was pushed through prematurely. According to Kahana, senior Israeli officials believe Trump’s insistence on securing the agreement before his inauguration forced Netanyahu into accepting unfavorable terms. Describing it as “a bad deal, struck at the wrong time and under poor conditions,” Kahane claimed that waiting just a few more days could have allowed Israel to negotiate significantly better conditions.

“The deal, which is expected to take effect any moment now, will rehabilitate Hamas,” he argued. “The organization, which has suffered severe blows, will gain at least 1,000 new operatives directly from Israeli prisons. This influx of ‘new blood,’ quite literally, will undoubtedly lead to more bloodshed both within and outside Israel.”

“Why is the author of The Art of the Deal pushing Israel into a deal with the devil?” the journalist added, using the title of Trump’s popular 1987 book.

Goren called the agreement a “really bad deal.”

Nevertheless, he said it was a moral imperative to release the hostages now because that was the most pressing issue. “This is the consequence of Oct 7. I don’t want to say this is too high a price. This is the reality. The hostages will never, never come back by military force,” he said.

“Do I like it? No. They are insane jihadist terrorists,” Goren added.

Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists abducted 251 hostages during their rampage across Israel, which responded to the invasion with a military campaign aimed at freeing the captives and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.

More than 100 hostages were released as part of a temporary truce in November 2023, and others have been freed — both dead and alive — by Israeli rescue operations. Some 98 hostages are still in captivity, and at least a third of them are believed to be dead.

Addressing the families of terror victims opposed to the agreement, Goren acknowledged their concerns. “We’ve seen terrorists go back to terror. But does Israel have the ability and also the responsibility to track them after their release? Absolutely.”

He also addressed the families of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers killed in the war who claim that their loved ones’ deaths were in vain if it would lead to the release of terrorists. Arguing that their sacrifice strengthened Israel’s negotiating position, Goren said, “The achievements in Gaza have allowed us to negotiate from a position of strength, ensuring Hamas no longer poses an existential threat to Israel.”

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