Israeli President Netanyahu accuses Hamas of trying to abandon the ceasefire agreement
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday he accused Hamas of reneging on a cease-fire agreement to free the hostages and end more than a year of fighting.
Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that his cabinet would not meet to approve a cease-fire deal in Gaza until Hamas backed off from what it called a “last-minute crisis.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, September 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas, without giving details, of trying to overturn part of the deal in an attempt “to force last-minute concessions.”
The Israeli government was due to ratify the agreement on Thursday.
President Biden joined Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a news conference Wednesday to announce that the deal would be implemented in three phases.
Biden said the first phase would last six weeks and “include a full and complete cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages held by Hamas, including women and the elderly, and I am proud to say that the Americans will also to be a part of that hostage release and phase one, and the Vice President and I can’t wait to welcome them home.
In exchange, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Biden said, and Palestinians “can also return to their neighborhoods in all areas of Gaza, and a wave of humanitarian aid to Gaza will begin.”
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Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
