‘Last minute crisis with Hamas holding up deal’

Netanyahu says Cabinet won’t meet regarding truce until Hamas backs down

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that a “last minute crisis” with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited agreement to pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes meanwhile killed dozens of people across the war-ravaged territory.

Netanyahu’s office said his Cabinet won’t meet to approve the agreement 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, which was announced by the mediators”.

Some 100 of around 250 hostages abducted are still inside Gaza, and the Israeli military believes around a third and up to half of them are dead. Under the deal reached Wednesday, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, Palestinians would be able to return to what’s left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance. The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first.

Following announcement of the ceasefire and hostage deal, crowds took to the streets of Tel Aviv. In a display of unity, people were seen singing songs and expressing their relief. People were also seen beating drum and chanting slogans while holding banners of the hostages. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes in Gaza killed 48 people over the past day.

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