Israel accuses Hamas of putting Gaza ceasefire deal at risk

Alisa Odenheimer, Dan Williams, Bloomberg News on Jan 16, 2025

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging on parts of a ceasefire agreement that looked set to pause more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, risking completion of the long-awaited deal.

The new demands by the Palestinian group are an effort to “extort last-minute concessions,” Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday. The Israeli cabinet will not convene to approve the deal until the mediators confirm Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement, his office said.

In an earlier statement, Israel said Hamas is objecting to its veto over which Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for hostages captured during the group’s 2023 raid on Israel that triggered the conflict. The prisoner-hostage swap is a key element of the accord announced with great fanfare Wednesday, with both outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden and his successor Donald Trump claiming credit for the deal.

Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and many other countries, is committed to the agreement announced by mediators, which include Qatar and Egypt, leader Izzat al-Rishq said via Telegram.

The delay to Israel’s cabinet meeting may also be about Netanyahu’s need to navigate complex political dynamics within his ruling coalition before he can push through the approval. Far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir have denounced the agreement — saying Israel needs to keep fighting Hamas — and have threatened to walk out if it’s confirmed. Smotrich, the finance minister, said he has been in intensive talks with Netanyahu on the accord.

The six-week ceasefire is due to start Sunday, a day before Trump’s inauguration. The terms dictate that Hamas release 33 of about 98 remaining hostages in the first phase, while Israel’s military will withdraw from populated areas of the Gaza Strip and free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Biden has made clear he wants the truce to lead to a permanent end to hostilities, though that may be complicated given Netanyahu’s oft-repeated goal to destroy Hamas entirely.

Fighting in Gaza continued, with Israeli strikes killing at least 48 people over the past day, AP reported, citing the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel’s security cabinet had been expected to vote on the deal on Thursday. Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism party, called the agreement “dangerous for the national security of the State of Israel.”

“A clear condition for our remaining in the government is absolute certainty of returning to the war with great force, on a full scale and in a new configuration until complete victory,” Smotrich said.

Israel has killed the two main leaders of Hamas in recent months, while degrading fellow Iran-backed group Hezbollah in a related military campaign in Lebanon. More dovish Israeli officials point to these achievements as evidence of Netanyahu’s successful overall strategy.

Religious Zionism’s eight parliamentary seats give Netanyahu a majority of 68 in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Without them, he would be vulnerable to future no-confidence motions. If another far-right coalition partner, Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party, follows suit — the government’s fall could be imminent.

Word of the ceasefire had sparked celebrations on the streets in Gaza. More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military campaign, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. Its fighters raided southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage.

Israel’s stocks gained, with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange 125 Index rising for a sixth-straight day on Thursday, extending record highs.

Israel says it has killed about 20,000 Palestinian gunmen in Gaza, equating to more than half of Hamas’s pre-war fighter numbers of about 35,000. Yet this week U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hamas has recruited almost as many militants as it’s lost since the start of the conflict, comments that underscored U.S. skepticism about the prospects of Israel’s effort to demolish the group.

Israel’s invasion has covered much of Gaza, with the vast majority of its 2 million population displaced. A truce was expected to lead to an increase in humanitarian aid to the territory, where many are struggling with a lack of food, water and health care.

—With assistance from Fadwa Hodali.