Netanyahu Postpones Cabinet Vote on Cease-Fire, Alleges Hamas Reneging on Negotiations for Unfair Gain
The Israeli Cabinet was scheduled to meet on Thursday morning to approve the deal that had been negotiated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of not honoring parts of the Gaza cease-fire agreement in an attempt to gain last-minute concessions.
Netanyahu stated that the Israeli Cabinet, set to convene on Thursday morning to ratify the deal, would not convene until Hamas complied, labeling the situation as a “last-minute crisis.”
A statement from Netanyahu’s office, as reported by various media sources, stated, “Hamas reneges on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel 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.”
However, Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri refuted Netanyahu’s claims, calling them baseless, and urged the Biden and Trump administrations to compel the Israelis to implement the agreement.
On Wednesday night, U.S. officials and the Qatari Prime Minister disclosed that Hamas and Israeli negotiators had agreed on a three-phase cease-fire deal, including the release of the remaining 100 hostages in exchange for freeing Palestinian prisoners.
The initial six-week cease-fire, set to begin on Jan. 19, would enable relief aid to enter the troubled Gaza Strip.
During the following six weeks, 33 hostages would be released and reunited with their families after 15 months in captivity.
Last-Minute Hitch
But early on Thursday morning, Netanyahu’s office released a statement accusing Hamas of retracting on an earlier agreement giving Israel a say in the release of specific convicted criminals.
Israel is keen on not repeating the error it made in 2011 when it freed 1,100 Palestinians, including Yahya Sinwar—who later orchestrated the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks—in exchange for a single captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
The outline of the cease-fire deal would entail a complete halt to hostilities and Israeli forces eventually pulling out entirely from the Gaza Strip, but only after receiving all 100 hostages.
It remains uncertain if some of the hostages, including IDF soldiers, may have perished.
However, the first part of the deal, the cease-fire, now seems to be in doubt. It is unclear if Hamas has raised other concerns, but the ball is in their court.
Earlier in a televised address, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog urged Netanyahu’s government to endorse the cease-fire.
Hamas characterized the cease-fire deal as “the result of the legendary resilience of our great Palestinian people and our valiant resistance in the Gaza Strip.”
The Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who facilitated discussions between Israel and Hamas, mentioned that the success of the cease-fire agreement would hinge on Israel and Hamas acting in good faith to prevent the collapse of the deal.
Negotiations Held in Qatar
The essence of the deal was reached after extensive talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
U.S. President Joe Biden commended the persistent and meticulous American diplomacy and indicated that his administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s team were in agreement during the most recent negotiations.
Amidst this, Israeli airstrikes throughout the Gaza Strip have resulted in at least 48 casualties in the past day. In past conflicts, both sides intensified military operations in the hours leading up to ceasefires to demonstrate strength.
Gaza’s Hamas-administered Health Ministry reported 46,000 fatalities in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began in October 2023, including 48 deaths on Wednesday.
The conflict commenced on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants breached the border into Israel via vehicles and paragliders, attacking civilians and military posts.
Targets included individuals in kibbutzes in southern Israel and attendees of a desert music festival.
Approximately 1,200 Israelis lost their lives, and another 250 were captured and taken to the Gaza Strip, where they were held captive in tunnels.
“They will write in books that one day, a Zionist group committed the most heinous crimes, killing thousands of women and children, and in the end they were defeated,” he added.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.