Israel accuses Hamas of creating a 'last-minute crisis' in Gaza ceasefire deal

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The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hamas of creating a “last-minute crisis” that threatens the Gaza ceasefire deal his country and the Palestinian group reached on Wednesday.

Mr Netanyahu's office said this would delay putting the agreement to Israel's cabinet for approval.

“Hamas is backing out of the explicit understandings agreed upon with the mediators and Israel in a last-minute blackmail attempt,” the statement said.

“Israel will not set a date for a cabinet and government meeting until the mediators announce that Hamas has approved all the details of the agreement.”

Hamas rejected these accusations, with senior official Ezzat Al Rashq saying on Thursday the group is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators.

Israeli media had reported that the security cabinet would meet at 11am local time to approve the deal. Despite some high-profile opposition to the deal on the far right of Mr Netanyahu’s coalition, the Prime Minister was widely expected to have enough political support to pass it.

Mediators in Qatar are trying to work out final details, Israeli reports say, while Mr Netanyahu waits to see whether members of his coalition government will resign in opposition to the deal.

The Religious Zionism Party was reportedly meeting on Thursday morning to decide whether it should stay in government, according to Israeli media. Public broadcaster Kan reported that Mr Netanyahu would not hold the meeting to implement the ceasefire deal until the Religious Zionism Party's leader, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, informed him of his party's decision.

Before the agreement was announced, Mr Smotrich’s political ally, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, had called on the Finance Minister to join him and stand against the government, if a deal was reached.

Mediators announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas approved an agreement to pause the war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people in the last 15 months and caused turmoil across the Middle East.

The three-stage deal is expected to take effect on January 19, after which Israeli hostages would be exchanged for detained Palestinians in phases. The Israeli military would also withdraw from the strip. Minor details were reportedly being ironed out overnight.

This agreement caps months of negotiations to end the deadliest war in Gaza's history. More than more than 46,700 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's strikes and ground offensive, with much of the enclave destroyed. This began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and abducting 250.

The scheduled pause in hostilities comes one day before the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, whose Middle East envoy was involved in the talks.

Protests broke out in Israel on Wednesday night when the agreement was announced. Demonstrators chanted that a ceasefire would prevent the building of Israeli settlements in Gaza – a longtime goal of far-right groups that has gained impetus during the war.

Far-right legislators doubled down on their opposition to the deal after it was announced. Religious Zionist Party MP Zvi Sukkot told public broadcaster Kan radio that his party “in all likelihood … will resign from the government” as a result. While the Religious Zionist Party forms a crucial bloc within Mr Netanyahu’s coalition, he would still retain a one-seat majority if it leaves.

Religious Zionist Party leader Mr Smotrich criticised the ceasefire agreement shortly after it was announced on Wednesday night, saying it was a “bad and dangerous deal for the national security of the state of Israel”, and that he opposed the deal with “force”.

“Along with the great joy and excitement of the return of each and every hostage, the deal takes back many achievements of the war, in which the heroes of this nation gave their lives, and will cost us, God forbid, a lot of blood,” said Mr Smotrich.