Hamas denies Israel claim group backtracking on ceasefire

Two Hamas leaders rejected on Thursday Israeli allegations that the Palestinian militant group was backtracking on elements of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal announced the day before.

Israeli media said the government’s ratification of the agreement may be delayed in part due to disagreements within the ruling coalition.

Two members of the Hamas political bureau rejected a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that said the group was reneging on elements of the deal to “extort last-minute concessions”.

“There is no basis to Netanyahu’s claims about the movement backtracking from terms in the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP.

Another political bureau member, Izzat al-Rishq, said separately in a statement: “Hamas is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.”

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Netanyahu’s office had earlier said the Israeli cabinet would not convene to vote on the deal until mediators notified Israel that Hamas had accepted all elements of the deal.

The agreement, which followed many months of failed negotiations, was mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.

At midnight (2200 GMT Wednesday) Netanyahu’s office said the “final details” were still being negotiated and that the prime minister would not comment until the full deal was agreed.

According to Israeli public radio, the delay in issuing such a statement is due to a crisis within the government coalition involving far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has vocally opposed any agreement to end the war.

Citing a source close to talks, Kan public broadcaster said Netanyahu wanted to protect the integrity of his government but that Smotrich was presenting a “real threat”.

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On Wednesday, Smotrich called it a “dangerous deal” for Israel’s security.

Smotrich’s party, Religious Zionism, on Thursday issued a statement saying it backed the finance minister and “strongly opposes the deal”.

The ceasefire agreement is expected to bring a halt to more than 15 months of war, with mediators saying it involves three phases.

In the first, a truce would begin on Sunday and 33 hostages would be exchanged for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners over the course of 42 days, while aid to the devastated Gaza Strip would increase.

– © Agence France-Presse