Netanyahu Says Hamas Has Reneged on Parts of Gaza Ceasefire Deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a memorial ceremony for those murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and those who fell in the “Iron Sword” war, at the Knesset, the Parliament, in Jerusalem, Oct. 28, 2024. Photo: DEBBIE HILL/Pool via REUTERS
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has reneged on parts of the ceasefire agreement to halt fighting in Gaza that was announced the prior day in an effort to extort last-minute concessions.
“The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country’s security cabinet and government, and a vote had been slated for Thursday.
Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told reporters that Israeli negotiators were in Doha to reach a solution.
“As of this time, the details of the agreement have not yet been finalized, and the negotiation team is continuing its efforts to reach a solution,” Mencer told reporters. “The Israeli negotiating team is still in Doha as befits Israel’s willingness to finalize the hostage release agreement.”
Mencer noted that hostage families were informed that Hamas “added further demands that contradict the agreement with the mediators” and that the Israeli government “wants to finalize an agreement.”
Hamas senior official Izzat el-Reshiq said the terrorist group remained committed to the ceasefire deal, agreed a day earlier, that was scheduled to take effect from Sunday to bring an end to 15-months of conflict.
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.
The complex ceasefire accord emerged on Wednesday after mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S. to stop the war, which Hamas started with its invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages to Gaza during the onslaught.
Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.
There are currently 98 hostages remaining in Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
The ceasefire deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Hostages taken by Hamas, which controls the enclave, would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners who have been detained in Israel largely for involvement terrorist activities.
Phase one of the deal entails the release of 33 of the hostages in Gaza, including all women, children, and men over 50.
The deal also paves the way for a surge in humanitarian aid for Gaza. Rows of aid trucks were lined up in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish waiting to cross into Gaza, once the border is reopened.
Hardliners in Netanyahu’s government were still hoping to stop the deal, though 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. Far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has also threatened to quit the government if the ceasefire is approved.
In Jerusalem, some Israelis marched through the streets carrying mock coffins in protest at the ceasefire, blocking roads and scuffling with police.
Despite the hold-up to the cabinet meeting, political commentators on Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said the latest delay would likely be resolved and that the ceasefire was a done deal.
The accord requires 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza every day of the ceasefire, with 50 carrying fuel. The first phase of the agreement will also see Israel releasing more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel secured major gains over Iran and its proxies, mainly Hezbollah, as the Gaza conflict spread. In Gaza, however, Hamas has been decimated, but without an alternative administration in place, it has been left standing.
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