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Netanyahu’s office blames Hamas for causing the ‘last minute crisis’. But the Palestinian group said it would implement the announced agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a cabinet meeting to approve the Gaza ceasefire agreement would not take place as scheduled, accusing Hamas of creating a “last-minute crisis.”
Israel’s cabinet is scheduled to meet Thursday morning to ratify the agreement, and the ceasefire is scheduled to take effect on Sunday.
“Hamas reneged on its agreements with mediators and Israel to extort last-minute concessions,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “The Israeli cabinet will not convene until mediators have notified Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”
Following Israel’s announcement, senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishek said in a statement that the Palestinian group would implement the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday.
Earlier, several Israeli families, along with their supporters, staged a sit-in in front of Netanyahu’s office, demanding that the cabinet not sign a prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas.
Yehoshua Shani, the father of Captain Uri Shani, who died in combat, said in a video message: “Do not sign an agreement that renounces surrender, the sacrifice of the kidnapped people or the security of Israel.”
“Come here before the cabinet meeting and join us to ask the prime minister to stop and not sign the surrender agreement with Hamas.”
More to follow…
