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Netanyahu's office blames Hamas for causing a 'last-minute crisis'; but the Palestinian Authority has said it is committed to the announced agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his ministers will not meet as planned Agreement to end the war in Gazahe blames Hamas for creating a “last-minute crisis”.
The Israeli cabinet was due to meet on Thursday morning to approve the deal, and the ceasefire is expected to start from Sunday.
“Hamas is rejecting parts of the agreement it made with Israel in order to take advantage of the last minute,” Netanyahu said. “The Israeli cabinet will not meet until the Israelis inform Israel that Hamas has accepted all aspects of the agreement.”
After Israel's announcement, the head of Hamas, Izzat al-Risheq, said that the Palestinian group was committed to the cease-fire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday.
Earlier, several Israeli families, including supporters, sat in front of Netanyahu's office, calling on the minister not to sign the prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.
“Don't sign an agreement that means surrender, sacrificing the remaining stolen goods and providing security for Israel,” said Yehoshua Shani, the father of Captain Uri Shani who was killed in the war.
“Come here to the cabinet meeting, and come with us to ask the Prime Minister to stop signing the concession agreement with Hamas.”
Al Jazeera's Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, said there was no “result of any kind from Hamas going back” on what they agreed on an armistice agreement.
“What we are seeing instead are internal conflicts in Benjamin Netanyahu's government, especially among the Religious Zionism Party,” he said.
This is the party of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has been threatening to end the agreement if the agreement comes to a vote, saying that this was bad for Israel, that his party needs assurances that Israel will return to the whole country. fight … after the first part (of the contract).
Netanyahu has faced domestic pressure to bring more prisoners to Gaza, but his right-wing allies are threatening to bring down his government if he allows more.
The attacks on Gaza continue
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has increased its shelling of the Gaza Strip after the Palestinians announced that a ceasefire agreement had been reached.
At least 71 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the border, the Gaza Civil Defense said.
Of those killed, 61 were in Gaza City alone, including 19 children and 24 women. Another 200 were injured, the Civil Defense added.
In one attack, unidentified people were killed and wounded after Israeli forces targeted a school sheltering refugees in al-Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City, Al Jazeera reporters on the ground said.
Israel's war in Gaza has killed at least 46,707 Palestinians and injured 110,265 as of October 7, 2023.