“Last-minute crisis,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday. Hamas were holding Israeli Approval of The long awaited ceasefire That will stop the fight. Gaza Strip And released dozens of hostages. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 72 people in the conflict-hit area.
Netanyahu hinted at problems with the deal shortly after US President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced its completion. It created a double reality: Conflict-weary Palestinians in Gaza, families of hostages there and world leaders all welcomed a deal, which is expected to begin on Sunday, even Netanyahu. said that it has not been finalized yet.
It was not yet clear whether Netanyahu's statements merely reflected a ploy to keep his fractious coalition together or whether the deal was in jeopardy.
The Israeli cabinet was expected to vote on the deal on Thursday, but Netanyahu's office said he would not hold the meeting until Hamas backs down, in an effort to win more concessions on it. Alleging the termination of certain parts of the agreement, without explanation.
A senior Hamas official, Izzat al-Rashq, said the militant group “is sticking to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.”
The deal, announced Wednesday, will free several hostages in Gaza and finally end the 15-month conflict that has destabilized the Middle East. And has sparked protests around the world.
Hamas launched a cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages.
Israel has responded with a fierce offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say more than half of those killed are women and children. There are children. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters without providing evidence.
The military campaign has also leveled large swaths of Gaza, forcing nearly 90 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million people from their homes. According to UN officials, millions of people are struggling with hunger and disease in tent camps along the coast.
Netanyahu is facing intense internal pressure.
Netanyahu's office had previously accused Hamas of backing out of a deal it said would be vetoed by Israel that would have released prisoners convicted of murder in exchange for hostages.
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The Israeli prime minister is under intense domestic pressure to repatriate several hostages, but his far-right allies have threatened to topple his government if he makes too many concessions. They have enough opposition support to approve the deal without those partners, but doing so would weaken their coalition.
One of his far-right allies, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, has already come out against the deal. Another, Bezalel Smotrich, posted on X late Wednesday that he was calling for “absolute certainty” that Israel could resume war later, calling the current deal “bad and dangerous” for Israel. is
The departure of both their factions would seriously destabilize the government and lead to early elections.
A night of heavy Israeli attacks
Palestinians in Gaza reported Israeli bombardment overnight as people celebrated the ceasefire agreement. In previous conflicts, both sides have escalated military operations in the final hours before a ceasefire as a way of projecting force.
“We were expecting the occupation to intensify the bombing, as every time they received reports of progress in the ceasefire (negotiations),” said Mohammad Mahdi, who a few months ago They are fleeing from home and taking refuge in Gaza City.
Ahmad Matar, who lives near the city's Al-Ahly Hospital, said he heard “massive airstrikes” throughout the night.
Gaza's health ministry says at least 72 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire agreement was announced. It said the death toll from Thursday's strikes only included bodies brought to two hospitals in Gaza City, and that the actual number was likely to be higher.
“Yesterday was a bloody day, and today is even bloodier,” said Zaheer al-Wahidi, head of the ministry's registration department.
An Associated Press reporter on the Israeli side of the border near Gaza heard more airstrikes and artillery fire on Thursday.
Buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardment inside the Gaza Strip from southern Israel on Thursday, January 16, 2025.
AP Photo/Ariel Shalette
Phased withdrawal and release of hostages with potential losses
Under the deal reached Wednesday, 33 of the roughly 100 hostages remaining in Gaza will be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel. Israeli forces will withdraw from many areas, millions of Palestinians will be able to return to what is left of their homes, and humanitarian aid will increase.
The remaining hostages, including male soldiers, will be released in a second – and much more difficult – phase that 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 the group is eliminated and security control is maintained over the area.
The ceasefire did not answer questions about the future of Gaza.
Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States are expected to meet in Cairo on Thursday to discuss the implementation of the deal, which comes after a year of intense negotiations with repeated failures.
US President-elect Donald Trump's Middle East envoy joined the talks in recent weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trump's team are taking credit for the progress.
Many long-term questions remain about post-war Gaza, including who will govern the territory or oversee the difficult task of reconstruction.
Israel has faced intense international criticism over the civilian deaths in Gaza, including from its closest ally, the United States. It has blamed Hamas for the killing of civilians and accused it of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes.
Hamas, a militant group that does not accept Israel's existence, has come under intense pressure from Israeli military operations, including attacks on Gaza's largest cities and towns and the occupation of the Gaza-Egypt border. Its top leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, who was believed to have helped mastermind the October 7, 2023 attack, have been killed.
But its fighters have regrouped in the worst-hit areas since the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a protracted insurgency if the conflict continues.
Shourafa reported from Deir al-Balah, the Gaza Strip and Moqdi to Cairo. Associated Press reporter Sam McNeil in southern Israel contributed.