Dr Mike Evans

Israel strikes Gaza as hostage release nears

Israel launched new airstrikes on Gaza on Thursday, accusing Hamas of backtracking on parts of a ceasefire and hostage release agreement before an expected Cabinet vote.

The truce, brokered by Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, is set to take effect Sunday, facilitating an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Negotiators planned to finalize terms for a permanent end to the war after the initial phase of the agreement.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated Thursday that Hamas had reneged on elements of the deal in an attempt to extract last-minute concessions. The Israeli Cabinet, which has yet to approve the agreement, would not convene until mediators confirmed that Hamas had accepted all terms, according to Netanyahu’s office.

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri rejected the allegations, calling them baseless. Following the deal’s announcement, Israel conducted airstrikes across Gaza, killing at least 75 people and wounding hundreds, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.

The agreement follows months of failed negotiations aimed at ending the deadliest conflict in Gaza’s history. If implemented, the ceasefire would pause fighting just one day before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Netanyahu spoke with President Joe Biden and Trump on Wednesday, thanking them for their involvement in securing the deal while cautioning that final details were still being worked out, according to his office.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures. Militants also took 251 hostages, with 94 still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s subsequent military campaign has devastated much of Gaza, resulting in 46,788 deaths, mostly civilians, according to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.