Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says the government will not meet on the Gaza ceasefire

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a “last-minute crisis” with Hamas held up Israeli approval of a long-awaited deal to halt fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed scores of people across the war-torn region.

Netanyahu’s office said his cabinet will not meet to approve the deal until Hamas backs down, accusing it of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions.

Izzat al-Rashq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by the mediators.”

US President Joe Biden and key broker Qatar announced the deal Wednesdaywhich aims to free dozens of hostages held in Gaza and wind down a 15-month war that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

Netanyahu’s office had previously accused Hamas of going back on an earlier understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages.

Netanyahu has faced great domestic pressure to bring home dozens of hostages, but his far-right coalition partners have threatened to topple his government if he makes too many concessions.

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, have killed at least 48 people over the past 24 hours, according to the territory’s health ministry. In past conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires as a way to project strength.

About half of the dead were women and children, Zaher al-Wahedi, head of the ministry’s registration department, told the Associated Press. He said the toll could increase as hospitals update their records.

A gradual withdrawal and hostage release with potential pitfalls

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel in a surprise attack on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250. About 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, and the Israeli military believes that approx. a third and up to half of them are dead.

According to the agreement reached on Wednesday33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces would withdraw from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what is left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian aid.

The rest of the hostages, including male soldiers, must be released in a second – and much more difficult – phase, which will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining prisoners without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to continue fighting until it disbands the group and to maintain open security control over the territory.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 46,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry. it is not stated how many of the dead were militants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters without providing evidence.

The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, according to the United Nations.

Israel says the final details are still being worked out

Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States are expected to meet in Cairo on Thursday for talks on implementing the agreement. They have spent the past year conducting indirect talks with Israel and Hamas, which finally resulted in an agreement after repeated setbacks.

President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy attended the talks in recent weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trump’s team are taking credit for the breakthrough.

Many lingering questions about post-war Gaza remain, including who should govern or oversee the territory a difficult reconstruction task after a brutal conflict that has destabilized the wider Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

Israel has been exposed to harsh international criticism, including from its closest ally, the United States, over the civilian toll in Gaza. It also blames Hamas for the civilian casualties and accuses it of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes.

The International Court of Justice investigates South Africa’s claims that Israel has committed genocide. The International Criminal Court, a separate body also based in The Hague, have issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas commander for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war.

Israel and the United States have condemned the actions of both courts.

Hamas, a militant group that does not accept Israel’s existencehas come under overwhelming pressure from Israeli military operations, including the invasion of Gaza’s largest towns and cities and the takeover of the Gaza-Egypt border. Its top leaders, including Yahya Sinwarwho is believed to have helped the mastermind attack on October 7, 2023, has been killed.

But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas following the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a longer insurgency if the war continues.

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Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, the Gaza Strip and Magdy from Cairo.

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