February 19, 2025
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a last-minute dispute with Hamas, designated a terror organization by the U.S., was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited ceasefire that would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages.
The statement from Netanyahu's office signaled complications with the deal shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced it was complete. That created a dual reality: War-weary Palestinians in Gaza, the relatives of hostages held there and world leaders all welcomed an agreement, expected to begin Sunday, even as Netanyahu said it was not yet finalized.
“Hamas is backing out of the understandings and creating a last-minute crisis that prevents a settlement,” Netanyahu's office said.
The Israeli Cabinet was expected to vote on the deal Thursday, but Netanyahu’s office said that officials won’t meet until Hamas backs down, accusing the terrorist group of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions.
A U.S. official with knowledge of the negotiations said Hamas made a last-minute revision that relates to the distance Israeli forces would withdraw from at least one largely populated area in Gaza that the official would not identify. The issue is expected to be resolved quickly and enable the ceasefire to begin as planned this weekend, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
In a briefing Thursday, David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesman, said the Israeli delegation of negotiators remained in Qatar, "continuing its efforts to reach a solution.”
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.”
The deal announced Wednesday would see scores of hostages held in Gaza released and a pause in fighting with a view to eventually wind down a 15-month war that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border terror attack into Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.
Israel responded with a fierce offensive and says it has killed over 17,000 fighters.
Netanyahu’s office earlier accused Hamas of backtracking on an understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages.
Under the deal reached Wednesday, 33 of some 100 hostages who remain in Gaza are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what’s left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance.
The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second — and much more difficult — phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.
Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. are expected to meet in Cairo on Thursday for talks on implementing the agreement, which came after a year of intensive talks with repeated setbacks.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy joined the talks in the final weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trump’s team are taking credit for the breakthrough.
Many longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the daunting task of reconstruction.
Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties, accusing it of using schools, hospitals, and residential areas for military purposes.
Hamas, a terrorist group that does not accept Israel’s existence, has come under overwhelming pressure from Israeli military operations, including the invasion of Gaza’s largest cities and towns and the takeover of the border between Gaza and Egypt. Its top leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, who was believed to have helped mastermind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, have been killed.
