Netanyahu Threatens to Cancel Ceasefire Agreement at Last Moment

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a last-minute threat to cancel the ceasefire agreement, raising tensions and uncertainty in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that he may obstruct an upcoming ceasefire with Hamas unless the Palestinian militant group presents a list of Israeli hostages who will be freed in the initial stage of the truce.

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on Wednesday to conclude their 15-month conflict in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 1,700 Israelis and nearly 47,000 Palestinians. The deal consists of three phases; initially, Hamas will exchange 33 hostages for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. This agreement is scheduled to be implemented on Sunday following its approval by Netanyahu’s cabinet early Saturday morning.

In a statement on Saturday evening, Netanyahu asserted that Hamas had broken its agreement to give the Israeli authorities the list of hostages scheduled for release the next day.

He stated, “We cannot proceed with the framework until we receive the agreed-upon list of hostages to be released. Israel will not tolerate any violations of this agreement; Hamas holds full responsibility.”

The Israeli Prime Minister characterized the ceasefire as “temporary,” stating that Israel would resume fighting if further stages of the agreement are not achieved. If hostilities restart, Netanyahu mentioned that Israeli forces would target Gaza “in new ways and with significant force.”

Netanyahu framed the ceasefire as a triumph for Israel, stating that obtaining the release of hostages was one of the war’s primary objectives. Nonetheless, family members of those held captive have criticized him and accused him of undermining earlier ceasefire proposals to satisfy his hardline coalition partners.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a prominent hardliner, has threatened to withdraw his Jewish Power party from Netanyahu’s coalition due to the deal. During an interview with Channel 12 news on Saturday night, Ben-Gvir announced that he would resign from the government on Sunday but clarified that he would not attempt to bring down the coalition.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Hamas asserted that Israel “did not succeed in achieving its aggressive goals” in Gaza. According to Hamas, Israeli forces “only managed to commit war crimes that disgrace humanity.”