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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of withdrawing from part of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage-free deal, as he faced a push against the US-brokered deal from his right-wing allies.
Israel it delayed a cabinet meeting aimed at approving the deal, but Hamas remained committed to the deal announced by mediators on Wednesday.
US president Joe Biden, president-elect Donald Trump and the prime minister of Qatar, whose countries were mediating the talks, announced Wednesday night that Hamas and Israel had reached an agreement on a 15-month ceasefire. the war in Gaza and freed 98 prisoners still in captivity.
Trump, who was the first leader to praise the deal on Wednesday, put pressure on Israel and Hamas to agree to a deal before his inauguration on Monday.
He has repeatedly warned that there will be “all hell to pay” if the hostages are not released on January 20. The ceasefire should come into effect and the first hostages be released on Sunday.
But Netanyahu's government, which relies on the support of two right-wing parties fiercely opposed to any deal, said final details were still to be worked out, and on Thursday morning added that Hamas was pushing back.
“Israel will not set a date for the cabinet and government meeting (to approve the deal) until the mediators announce that Hamas has agreed to all the details of the deal,” Netanyahu's office said.
Netanyahu's statement came as finance minister Bezalel Smotrich of the far-right Zionist Party said Thursday morning that he would leave the government if he accepted the deal.
Speaking to Kan Radio, Zvi Sukkot, a representative of the party, said that it is “possible” that he would resign from the government if the agreement was accepted, because his goal was “to change the DNA of Israel”, not just to make numbers. in the union.
Smotrich himself has repeatedly criticized the agreement, and on Wednesday night he called it “bad and dangerous”. He said his position in the government is that Israel should be able to resume the war in Gaza “with full force” once the hostages are released.