Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said that a “last-minute crisis” with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited ceasefire that would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes killed dozens of people across the war-ravaged territory.
Netanyahu began signaling there were issues with the deal just hours after US President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced it was complete. The objection created a dual reality: War-weary Palestinians in Gaza, the relatives of hostages held there and world leaders all welcomed an agreement, expected to begin on Sunday, even as Netanyahu said it was not yet finalized.
It was not yet clear if Netanyahu’s statements merely reflected jockeying to keep his fractious coalition together or whether the deal was at risk.
Photo: AP
Netanyahu’s office said his Cabinet would not meet to approve the deal until Hamas backs down, accusing it of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions, without elaborating.
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.”
The deal announced on Wednesday would see scores of hostages held in Gaza released and a pause in fighting with a view to eventually wind down a 15-month war that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
Netanyahu’s office earlier yesterday accused Hamas of backtracking on an understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages.
The Israeli prime minister has faced great domestic pressure to bring home the scores of hostages, but his far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he makes too many concessions. He has enough opposition support to approve an agreement even without those partners, but doing so would weaken his coalition.
One of his far-right allies, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, has already come out against the deal. Another, Bezalel Smotrich, said that he was demanding “absolute certainty” that Israel can resume the war later, calling the current deal “bad and dangerous” for Israel.
The departure of both of their factions would seriously destabilize the government and could lead to early elections.
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