Almost 20 hours after the ceasefire agreement to end 15 months of war in Gaza was announced by its mediators (Qatar, the United States and Egypt) and applauded by the international community, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated this Thursday that he will not put it to a vote before his Government (as was scheduled to happen during the day) until the negotiators in Doha resolve the last-minute discrepancies that have arisen over its implementation. Netanyahu, with two far-right coalition partners opposed to the pact, accuses the Islamist movement of trying to go back on previous commitments and seek concessions. No independent information points in this direction and Hamas leader Izzat al Risheq has stressed on the social network Telegram his group’s “commitment” to the agreement. Since its announcement, which left scenes of jubilation in Gaza, Israeli bombings have killed 73 people in the Strip.
Netanyahu is one of the few leaders who has not spoken about the pact. His office made it clear last night that it will only do so when everything is closed. The last minute problems do not center on the text itself, but on the process of choosing the Palestinian prisoners who would be released, in exchange for the progressive release of the almost 100 hostages that Hamas has held since its attack on September 7. October 2023.
This Thursday, the head of the Executive accused Hamas of “creating a last-minute crisis” and “breaching parts of the agreement.” […] in an effort to extract last-minute concessions.” “The Israeli Cabinet will not meet until mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” his office added.
In Israel, the official green light for the agreement does not come from the yes of the mediators in Doha, but rather from the security cabinet and, subsequently, the Government as a whole. The first meeting was initially scheduled for this Thursday morning. Then it was postponed to the afternoon and now it has been left up in the air. He impasse It jeopardizes the schedule put forward by Qatar’s own Prime Minister, Mohammed al Thani, when announcing the agreement at a press conference in Doha: it would come into force this Sunday. The Israeli delegation, led by Mossad chief David Barnea, remains in Qatar and would only enter the meeting by videoconference, the newspaper reports. Yediot Aharonot.
The voting numbers in the Executive allow it to move forward without problems. In fact, approval by a large majority is expected, since the opposition has been asking for it for some time. Only Netanyahu’s two far-right partners are opposed: Religious Zionism and Jewish Power. The leader of the former, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has called the agreement “bad and dangerous,” but has been ambiguous about whether he would abandon the coalition if it goes ahead, which is the real key to the matter. The ultranationalist formation is meeting to assess its next steps and hundreds of people have started a march against the pact. The president, Isaac Herzog, has asked the members of the Executive to ratify it because there is no “greater moral, human, Jewish and Israeli task” than bringing back the hostages.
A “task” provided for in the first and second phases of the pact. The text states that the first will last six weeks, during which Hamas will hand over 33 hostages: women, minors, the sick and men over 50 years old. The first would be three civilian women and, seven days later, another four. First the living and, at the end, it will be the turn of the delivery of corpses, the number of which is unknown, but is estimated at a third.
During that month and a half, Israel will begin the progressive withdrawal of its troops in Gaza, will begin to release Palestinian prisoners (some will have to go abroad) and will allow displaced people from northern Gaza to return to the homes that remain standing.
Despite the last minute problems, the Israeli army has already begun to set up a complex near Gaza so that the hostages can be reunited with their families as soon as they are released. However, it is assumed that some are injured and will need urgent medical attention, so they will be taken immediately to hospitals.