DOHA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel intensified attacks in Gaza hours after announcing a ceasefire and hostage release agreement, residents and officials in the Palestinian enclave said, as mediators tried to end the fighting before it began of the truce on Sunday.
The complex ceasefire agreement between Israel and the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, emerged on Wednesday after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the United States and 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the East. Average.
The agreement calls for an initial six-week ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of people have been killed. The hostages taken by Hamas will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Israel’s acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country’s security cabinet and government, and the vote has been scheduled for Thursday, according to an Israeli official.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of making last-minute demands and going back on agreements.
“The Israeli cabinet will not meet until mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.
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Hamas is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday, the group’s senior representative Izzat el-Reshiq said on Thursday.
Hardliners in Netanyahu’s government still hoped to block the deal, although the majority of ministers are expected to support it. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said his party would only remain in government if Israel resumed the war with full force until Hamas was defeated. Far-right police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has also threatened to leave the government if the ceasefire is approved.
As people celebrated the pact in Gaza and Israel, the Israeli military carried out more attacks following the announcement, according to the civil emergency service and residents.
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This Thursday, Gaza militants fired a rocket at Israel, according to the Israeli Armed Forces, without causing any casualties.
Israeli airstrikes overnight and into the early hours of Thursday killed at least 71 Palestinians and injured 200, according to the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service.
At a press conference in Doha, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the ceasefire would come into force on Sunday. Negotiators are working with Israel and Hamas on measures to implement the deal, he said.
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“This agreement will stop the fighting in Gaza, bring much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity,” said US President Joe Biden in Washington.
His successor, Donald Trump, takes office on Monday and has claimed credit for the advance on Gaza.
Israelis find it difficult to see the release of Palestinian militants who were serving life sentences for involvement in deadly attacks in their country.
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But successive polls have shown broad public support for an agreement that would allow the hostages to be released, even at a price considered high.
“This must be the only choice we make to continue surviving as a state and as a nation, knowing that we will do anything to save each other,” said Jerusalem resident Chava Treitel.
