Israel’s vote on a Gaza ceasefire has been delayed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed a cabinet vote to approve a cease-fire deal in Gaza, which was blamed on Thursday, accusing Hamas of seeking last-minute changes to the deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “no arrests will be made” and he hopes that the ceasefire will start on Sunday as planned.

Although Israeli negotiators have agreed to the deal after months of negotiations, it will not be implemented until it is approved by the security cabinet and the government.

Hamas has said it is committed to the deal, but the BBC understands that it was trying to include some of its members on the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released under the deal.

The delay came later Israeli strikes in Gaza follow Wednesday’s announcement The deal killed more than 80 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Hours before Thursday morning’s meeting, Netanyahu accused Hamas of trying to “get a last-minute concession”.

The cabinet will not meet until Hamas accepts “all parts of the agreement,” a statement from his office read.

Blinken said such delays were to be expected in such a “challenging” situation.

“It’s not really surprising that in the process and in the negotiation it’s been a challenge and this is full, you might get a loose end,” he told a press conference in Washington.

“We’re tying up that loose end as we speak.”

He said the US is “confident” that the deal will go into effect on Sunday as planned, and that the ceasefire will continue.

Israeli media reported that the Cabinet was expected to meet on Friday to approve the deal and that the issue was said to have been resolved, although this was not officially confirmed.

Most Israeli ministers are expected to support the deal, but on Thursday Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his ruling party would quit Netanyahu’s government if it was approved.

“The current agreement is reckless,” Ben-Gvir said at a press conference, adding that “it will erase the success of the war”.

However, he said his party Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) would not seek to overthrow the government if the agreement was accepted.

He appealed to the leader of another far-right party in the government, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionist party, to join him in resigning.

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group is committed to the agreement announced by the mediators.

The head of the Hamas delegation, Khalil al-Hayya, has officially informed Qatar and Egypt of the approval of all the terms of the agreement, the official told the BBC.

But BBC Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf understands that Hamas has been trying to include the name of one or two symbolic members on the list of prisoners to be released under the deal.

The first six-week phase of the deal will see 33 hostages – including women, children and adults – exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

Israeli forces will also withdraw to the east, away from congested areas in Gaza.

Displaced Palestinians will be able to start returning to their homes and hundreds of aid trucks will be allowed to enter the area each day.

The second phase of talks – which should see the release of remaining hostages, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and a return to “stable calm” – will begin on the 16th.

The third and final phase will involve the return of any remaining bodies of hostages and the reconstruction of Gaza – something that could take years.

Israeli airstrikes continued after the deal was announced on Wednesday. At least 12 people were killed in Gaza City, where a doctor told the BBC they “didn’t rest for a minute” during a “bloody night”.

Strikes have taken place on 50 targets in Gaza since the agreement was announced, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency said in a statement.

Qatar’s prime minister – who has been mediating the talks – has called for “calm” on both sides before the start of the first six-week phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas – designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US and others – in response to an unprecedented attack on the Israeli border on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were killed. . they were captured.

More than 46,788 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the area.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have also been displaced, there is widespread destruction and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter, while aid agencies struggle to get aid to those in need.

Israel says 94 hostages are still being held by Hamas, 34 of whom are presumed dead. There were four Israelis who were captured before the war, two of them have died.