Negotiators worked furiously on Thursday to resolve final disagreements in a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which aims to release hostages and end the violence that has devastated Gaza for the last 15 months.

Israeli Vote on Cease-Fire Is Delayed as Diplomats Work on Details

The disputes led to at least a one-day delay in a crucial Israeli vote to approve the deal.https://svtoday.org/

Although Israel and Hamas had reached a provisional agreement on Wednesday, discussions continued through intermediaries to resolve unresolved issues. The Israeli cabinet, which must approve the cease-fire to move forward, had been expected to vote on Thursday, but this was postponed.

The deal has sparked strong opposition in Israel, where far-right coalition members are firmly against a cease-fire. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, declared on Thursday that his party would withdraw from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government if the cabinet approves the deal.

This withdrawal could destabilize the government at a critical moment but is unlikely to derail the cease-fire entirely.

The United States, which worked alongside Qatar and Egypt for months to broker the deal, downplayed the delay, affirming that the cease-fire would take effect on Sunday as planned.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken expressed confidence in the agreement’s implementation. “It’s not surprising that in such a complex and challenging negotiation, we may encounter a final hurdle,” he stated. “We’re resolving that now.”

He further mentioned his discussions with the U.S. envoy and Qatari officials to address the last remaining questions.

In Israel, the Prime Minister’s office accused Hamas of failing to adhere to parts of the agreement.

“There isn’t a deal right now,” Omer Dostri, Netanyahu’s spokesperson, said Thursday. “So there’s no cabinet meeting.”

A Hamas official, Izzat al-Rishq, asserted that the group remained committed to the agreement outlined by mediators.

Disagreements have centered on which Palestinians would be freed and how Israeli forces would position themselves along Gaza’s border with Egypt during the truce, according to Mr. Dostri.

After months of watching cease-fire negotiations collapse, many in Gaza, Israel, and elsewhere expressed only cautious optimism about this deal’s future.

“I wish I could say I am happy,” said Fadia Nassar, 43, displaced to the south of Gaza after losing her home in the north. She expressed concerns that the deal might “collapse for any reason.”

“My heart is broken,” she added. “I’ll probably stay in a tent. Hundreds of thousands will end up in tents.”

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza on Thursday, with the military reporting attacks on about 50 targets across the territory in the past day.

“The situation in Gaza is still very dire and catastrophic,” said Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, an emergency service under Hamas’s Interior Ministry.

Israeli attacks recently killed at least 81 people and wounded nearly 200, according to Gaza’s health ministry, though these figures could not be independently verified.

The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, their compounds, and weapons storage sites, and that measures were taken to minimize civilian casualties.

Mediators hope that the cease-fire, which includes a 42-day truce and the release of some hostages, will ultimately end the war that began with the Hamas-led attack in October 2023. The attack killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 hostages. The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed tens of thousands in Gaza and displaced nearly the entire population.

In Israel, Ben-Gvir and other hard-line members of Netanyahu’s government have opposed the cease-fire, advocating for continued warfare until Hamas is defeated.

Ben-Gvir’s party, Jewish Power, holds six seats in the 120-seat Israeli parliament. If the party withdraws from the coalition, the government’s majority would shrink to a slim 62. He stated that his party would rejoin the government if it resumes fighting Hamas.

Earlier on Thursday, demonstrators in Israel blocked a major highway in Jerusalem to protest the deal, with police eventually dispersing the crowd.

One protestor, Eliyahu Shahar, 21, argued that the cease-fire would endanger Israel’s security and should be rejected, “even if it means more hostages will die.”

Should the vote proceed, the cease-fire agreement is expected to pass, even without support from two far-right parties in the governing coalition. Families of hostages have largely supported the deal, and opposition parties have expressed their willingness to back Netanyahu’s government to ensure the agreement’s implementation.

“This is more important than any differences of opinion we’ve had,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Yona Schnitzer, 36, a marketing writer from Tel Aviv, said he felt “cautious optimism” about the agreement. “I hope it happens this time,” he said. “If it’s confirmed, I’ll feel relief, mainly because hostages will return, and it will bring us closer to ending this war.”

The cease-fire would begin with an initial six-week phase, including the release of 33 hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, as well as daily humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the agreement “the hope the region desperately needed,” while noting that the situation in Gaza remains dire. She announced $123 million in aid for Gaza this year, along with food shipments.

Diplomats are optimistic that the first phase could lead to more permanent conditions, a point emphasized by Blinken on Thursday.

“It will require tremendous effort, political courage, and compromise to ensure the gains achieved at such an enormous cost are lasting,” he said.

But in Gaza, where destruction and uncertainty dominate, many are left exhausted and uncertain about the future.

“It feels good to hear about the cease-fire,” said Nizar Hammad, 31, displaced from Gaza City. “But when I think about life after the war, I think about the ongoing suffering. The scale of destruction is overwhelming.”

“Honestly, I feel numb,” said Aseel Mutier, 22, from northern Gaza. She lost her 16-year-old brother during the war and her home was destroyed last week.

“We’re just waiting for Sunday,” she added. “We don’t know what will happen between now and then.”