Netanyahu accuses Hamas of reneging on Gaza ceasefire deal and causing ‘last-minute crisis’
16 January 2025, 05:56 | Updated: 16 January 2025, 09:01
Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Hamas is reneging on the Gaza ceasefire deal and causing a ‘last-minute crisis.’
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The Israeli Prime Minister said after the deal had been announced that the Gaza terror group were going back on part of the agreement that allows Israel to choose which Palestinian convicts can be released.
A statement from the Israeli PM's office read: "Hamas is backing out of the explicit understandings agreed upon with the mediators and Israel in a last-minute blackmail attempt.
"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."
The deal, which would theoretically come into force on Sunday, promises the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.
The Israeli cabinet was set to vote on the deal this afternoon.
It would bring to an end fourteen months of war that have killed some 46,000 people in Gaza, sparked by the October 7, 2023 terror attacks by Hamas that caused the deaths of around 1,200 people.
But Mr Netanyahu said in a statement after the deal was announced on Wednesday evening that there were still some sticking points.
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He claimed that Hamas were trying to choose which Palestinian prisoners could be released from Israeli jails.
"Among other things – contrary to a specific clause that grants Israel the veto power over the release of mass murderers who are symbols of terrorism, Hamas is demanding to dictate the identities of these terrorists."
Mr Netanyahu's office said it has told Israeli negotiators to stay firm on this point.
Hamas is yet to respond to the statement.
Any deal will need to be signed off by the Israeli cabinet, which contains some hardline figures.
Qatar - which has been mediating the negotiations - announced on Wednesday evening that Israel and Hamas had come to an agreement on a ceasefire and hostage deal, following 15 months of fierce fighting.
The deal comes a week into negotiations, which have been ongoing in the Qatari capital, Doha.
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The breakthrough will ultimately allow thousands of of displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return to what remains of the war-torn region, with essential humanitarian aid granted access.
After the announcement on Wednesday evening, aid agencies in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombing, with some 32 people killed.
Keir Starmer welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal as "long-overdue news" and paid tribute to British citizens who were killed during the conflict.
The UK Prime Minister said Britain would join its allies in continuing work to "break the cycle of violence and secure long-term peace" for Israelis and Palestinians, which he said would be grounded in a two-state solution.
He paid tribute to "those who won't make it home - including the British people who were murdered by Hamas."
The sister of two British citizens murdered in the Israel-Hamas conflict said "there will never be any closure" until all Israeli hostages are returned.
Ayelet Svatitzky's brothers Roi and Nadav Popplewell both died, and her mother, Channah Peri, was previously taken as a hostage.
Speaking from Israel, she told the PA news agency: "We've been praying for a deal to be signed, and every hostage (being) released is a relief for them, for the families and for us.
"Of course, it's too late for my brother, we will never be able to save them.
"We were able to bring him for burial, and so we know how crucial it is for for a deal to be complete and for all hostages to be brought back, for the live hostages to be released to their families and to start the healing and rehabilitating."
She added: "There will never be any closure for us until all the hostages are back. We'll be worried and we're not able to move on until the last hostage is home."
