After Israeli and Hamas negotiators ironed out remaining differences, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a meeting of Israel’s political security cabinet on Friday to approve a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement early Friday that he had ordered the meeting to approve the deal for later in the day.
Without specifying a day, the statement said lawmakers would later “meet to approve the agreement.”
A security cabinet vote was expected on Thursday. There were delays amid last-minute conflicts. Differences over the accord with Hamas and within Mr. Netanyahu’s governing coalition have emerged.
The prime minister’s office said the families of the hostages had been informed of the deal and had instructed the government authority responsible for the hostages to be ready to receive the hostages upon their return to Israel.
“The State of Israel is committed to achieving all of the war’s goals, including the return of all our hostages – both living and dead,” the statement said.
A vocal member of Mr. Netanyahu’s governing coalition took a stand against the ceasefire agreement late on Thursday. Israel’s hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to resign and remove his party from the Israeli government if the cabinet votes to approve a temporary ceasefire agreement.
“This deal will effectively wipe out the gains of the war,” Mr Ben Guerre said, adding that the ceasefire would leave Hamas in power in Gaza.
While Mr. Bin Guerre’s threat could destabilize Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition at a critical time, it was unlikely to overturn the cease-fire agreement, which also freed hostages from Hamas and Palestinian prisoners in Israel. will go Mr Netanyahu will still hold a 62-seat majority in the 120-member parliament.
Opposition lawmakers have vowed to back Mr. Netanyahu’s call for a ceasefire if more hardline allies leave the coalition. “This is more important than all the differences that have existed between us so far,” said parliamentary opposition leader Yair Lapid.
Mr Netanyahu’s announcement suggests a ceasefire could be in place by the end of this week. Secretary of State Anthony J. Blanken said Thursday that he was confident the deal would go into effect on Sunday as planned.
President Biden and other mediators announced Wednesday that Israeli and Hamas negotiators in Qatar had reached an agreement to end fighting in Gaza and free the hostages. Thursday’s setbacks underscored the volatility of the ceasefire and raised fears of further delays.
President-elect Donald J. Trump, who had pressed the parties to reach a deal ahead of his inauguration on Monday, repeated his warning in a podcast interview Thursday that he wants the deal to close. Before he took office.. “It’s going to get better,” he told the host, Dan Bongino. In December, weeks after his re-election, Mr Trump said there would be “a heavy price to pay” if a ceasefire and hostage deal were not reached.
Deadly Attacks continue in Gaza.Despite the announcement of a cease-fire agreement.
Gaza Ministry of Health said At least eight Israeli attacks in the area on Thursday morning have killed 81 people and wounded around 200 in the past 24 hours.
Palestinian Civil Defense, a Emergency service At least 77 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the agreement was announced, the organization said. The claims could not be independently verified.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that it hit about 50 targets in the Gaza Strip yesterday. The targets included Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, their compounds, weapons stockpiles and manufacturing sites, and launching and observation posts, the military said in a statement, adding that it would prevent civilian casualties before the strikes. “Several steps” were taken to
Palestinian Rescue and Emergency Service spokesman Mahmoud Bisal said that the reality of the Strip is very difficult and devastating.
In his final televised interview in office, which aired Thursday night on MSNBC, President Biden said after months of intense diplomatic efforts by him and his advisers to finalize a cease-fire agreement, the entire Stuntly defended his choice to support Israel in the conflict.
Critics of the Israeli prime minister, including some families of hostages who have pushed for a ceasefire deal, have accused him of deliberately blocking talks to prolong the conflict.
Mr. Biden did not answer directly when asked by MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell if he thought Mr. Netanyahu did it. He said that Mr. Netanyahu had come under political pressure from Israel’s right wing, and at times had been “forced to do some things that I think, I think, are counterproductive.”
Zack Montague Cooperation reporting.