Netanyahu accuses Hamas of reneging on ceasefire deal

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement, as he faces pushback on the US-brokered deal from his far-right allies.

Hamas said it remains committed to the agreement announced by the mediators on Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump, and the Prime Minister of Qatar, whose countries are mediating the talks, announced on Wednesday evening that Hamas and Israel had reached an agreement on an agreement that would end the 15-month-old war in Gaza and halt the fighting. 98 hostages still being held are released.

Trump, who was the first leader to praise the agreement on Wednesday, put pressure on both Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement before his inauguration on Monday.

He has repeatedly warned that “we will pay a heavy price” if the hostages are not released by January 20. The ceasefire is supposed to go into effect and the first hostages will be released on Sunday.

But Netanyahu’s government, which relies on the support of two far-right parties that strongly oppose any agreement, said the final details still needed to be resolved, and added on Thursday morning that Hamas was backing down from its position.

“Israel will not set a date for holding a meeting of the Council of Ministers and the government [to approve the deal] Netanyahu’s office said: “Until the mediators announce that Hamas has agreed to all the details of the agreement.”

Netanyahu’s statement came at a time when a member of the far-right Religious Zionist Party led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday morning that he might leave the government if it approved the agreement.

Speaking to Kan Radio, Zvi Sukkot, a party lawmaker, said the party would “most likely” resign from the government if the deal was approved, because its mission was to “change the DNA of Israel,” not just make up numbers. In the coalition.

Smotrich himself repeatedly criticized the deal, describing it on Wednesday evening as “bad and dangerous.” He said his condition for remaining in government was that Israel be able to resume the war in Gaza “at full force” once the hostages are released.