Gaza ceasefire on hold: Israel claims Hamas has reneged on parts of agreement and hostage release deal

The Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal is under threat as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement.

Mr Netanyahu’s office released a statement late Thursday, saying: “Hamas has reneged on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions.

“The Israeli Cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”

Israel’s cabinet had been expected to meet late Thursday afternoon local time to ratify the deal, which was announced on Wednesday night.

However, a Hamas official has denied the Palestinian group is reneging on the deal. Leader Izzat al-Rishq reportedly said Hamas remains committed to the ceasefire agreement via Telegram.

Mr Netanyahu’s office is due to hold a briefing on the situation at 3.30pm local time (9.30pm WA time).

The ceasefire deal was to commence on Sunday January 19 — a day before Donald Trump’s inauguration — bringing an end to over 15 months of conflict that has seen the death of tens of thousands in the Middle East.

The conflict, which erupted after Hamas attacked Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023 and saw hundreds of citizens taken hostage, sparked a war between Israel and the terrorist group.

Thirty three Israeli captives were to be released as part of the first stage of the ceasefire deal, while Israel’s military would withdraw from the populated areas of the Gaza Strip and free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Earlier, Mr Trump was among those to confirm that mediators had struck “a deal for the hostages” as part of the truce — claiming his “pressure tactics” secured an agreement that eluded Joe Biden.