The Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas now may not take effect until Monday instead of Sunday, according to reports in Israeli media.
The Israeli security cabinet was initially supposed to approve the deal on Thursday, but Prime Minister Netanyahu delayed the vote, claiming Hamas was “reneging” on certain details, an accusation the Palestinian group strongly denied.
According to The Times of Israel, negotiators in Doha signed a deal after working out some final details. The Israeli security cabinet is expected to approve it on Friday, but the agreement also needs to be approved by the full Israeli cabinet, which isn’t expected to happen until Saturday.
The Times report said after the full cabinet approval, the names of Palestinian prisoners who will be freed under the deal will be released. Israelis will then have 48 hours to petition against the releases to the Israeli Supreme Court.
Trump, whose pressure on Israel was what advanced the deal, said in an interview on Thursday that the ceasefire must be implemented by his inauguration. “We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office,” he said.
For Palestinians in Gaza, the potential delay in the ceasefire could mean life or death since Israel has ramped up airstrikes across the Strip, killing at least 87 since the ceasefire deal was announced.
