Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas have failed to reach an agreement, with the Israeli government claiming that Hamas has not upheld its end of the bargain. According to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas has broken some of the agreements in the framework of a potential ceasefire deal.
The Israeli government has accused Hamas of not fulfilling a range of points in order to “extract concessions at the last minute”. This likely refers to the new demands made by Hamas in relation to the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Netanyahu stated that the Israeli side will adhere strictly to the clauses of the agreement, and that the government will not schedule a cabinet meeting to approve the deal until the mediators confirm that Hamas has agreed to all the details of the document.
A Hamas spokesperson confirmed the group’s commitment to the ceasefire agreement, as reported by Al Jazeera. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an ally of Hamas, warned of a potential breakdown of the agreement by the Israeli authorities, urging the Palestinians to “prepare for a new war”.
Under the agreement, a ceasefire is expected to begin on January 19. Until March, both sides are set to exchange prisoners and hostages, and Israeli troops will withdraw from the border. It is expected that Hamas will release 33 hostages to Israel in the first phase, with the second and third stages to be agreed upon later. Hamas has confirmed its agreement to the conditions.
The deal on the release of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas was announced by the designated US President Donald Trump on January 15.
An initial ceasefire between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas lasted for seven days, from November 24 to December 1, 2023, before being extended twice beyond the originally agreed four days. During this time, militant Palestinians released 105 Israeli and foreign hostages.