Israel Postpones Cabinet Meeting, Wants Ratification Of Gaza's Armistice Agreement With Hamas

JAKARTA - Israel postponed holding a cabinet meeting on Thursday to ratify the ceasefire with Hamas.

Senior Hamas official Izzat el-Reshiq said his group remains committed to a ceasefire agreement agreed the day before, which was scheduled to take effect Sunday, January 19, to end the 15-month bloodshed.

President Joe Biden's envoy Brett McGurk and President-elect envoy Donald J. Trump Steve Witkoff are in Doha alongside Egyptian and Qatar mediators trying to resolve the remaining final dispute, a US official, speaking without wanting to be named.

The dispute involved the identities of several detainees Hamas requested to be released and is expected to be resolved soon, the US official said.

Meanwhile, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told Israeli negotiators were in Doha to reach a solution.

An elaborate ceasefire agreement comes on Wednesday, January 15 after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the United States to halt a war that has devastated coastal territory and ignited Middle East turmoil.

The deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of people were killed.

Hostages detained by the militant group Hamas, which controls the area, will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.

The deal also paved the way for increased humanitarian aid for Gaza, where most of its population was forced to flee and face acute food shortages, food safety experts warned late last year.

A row of aid trucks lined up in the Egyptian border city, El-Arish, waiting to cross into Gaza, after the border reopened.

Israel's acceptance of the agreement will not be official until it is approved by the country's security cabinet and government, and a vote is scheduled for Thursday.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed the meeting, accusing Hamas of making demands at the last minute and canceling the agreement.

"Israel's cabinet will not convene until the mediators inform Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.

Hardline groups in the Netanyahu government are still hoping to stop the deal, although the majority of ministers are expected to support it.