TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) 鈥� Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a "last-minute crisis" with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of a long-awaited in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 72 people in the war-ravaged territory.
Netanyahu began signaling there were issues with the deal just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced it was complete. The objection created a dual reality: War-weary Palestinians in Gaza, the relatives of hostages held there and world leaders all welcomed an agreement, expected to begin Sunday, even as Netanyahu said it was not yet finalized.
It was not yet clear if Netanyahu鈥檚 statements merely reflected jockeying to keep his fractious coalition together or whether the deal was at risk.
Netanyahu's office said his Cabinet won鈥檛 meet to approve the deal until Hamas backs down, accusing it of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions, without elaborating.
Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group 鈥渋s committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.鈥�
The would see a scores of hostages held in Gaza released and a pause in fighting with a view to eventually wind down that has and sparked .
Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack into Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.
Israel responded with a fierce offensive that has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half of those killed. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
The military campaign has also leveled , and pushed around 90% of Gaza鈥檚 population of 2.3 million people from their homes. Hundreds of thousands are struggling and disease in squalid tent camps on the coast, according to United Nations officials.
Netanyahu faces heavy internal pressure
Netanyahu鈥檚 office earlier accused Hamas of backtracking on an understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages.
The Israeli prime minister has faced to bring home the scores of hostages, but his far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he makes too many concessions. He has enough opposition support to approve an agreement even without those partners, but doing so would weaken his coalition.
One of his far-right allies, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, has already come out against the deal. Another, Bezalel Smotrich, posted on X late Wednesday that he was demanding 鈥渁bsolute certainty鈥� that Israel can resume the war later, calling the current deal 鈥渂ad and dangerous鈥� for Israel.
The departure of both of their factions would seriously destabilize the government and could lead to early elections.
A night of heavy Israeli strikes
Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires as a way to project strength.
鈥淲e were expecting that the occupation would intensify the bombing, like they did every time there were reports on progress in the truce (negotiations),鈥� said Mohammed Mahdi, who fled his home a few months ago and is sheltering in Gaza City.
Ahmed Mattar, who lives near the city鈥檚 Al-Ahly hospital, said he heard 鈥渕assive airstrikes鈥� overnight.
Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry said Israeli strikes have killed at least 72 people since the ceasefire deal was announced. It said the toll from Thursday鈥檚 strikes only includes bodies brought to two hospitals in Gaza City, and that the actual toll is likely higher.
鈥淵esterday was a bloody day, and today is bloodier,鈥� said Zaher al-Wahedi, head of the ministry鈥檚 registration department.
An Associated Press reporter on the Israeli side of the border near Gaza heard more airstrikes and artillery fire on Thursday.
A phased withdrawal and hostage release with potential pitfalls
, 33 of some 100 hostages who remain in Gaza are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be able to return to what鈥檚 left of their homes, and there would be a surge of humanitarian assistance.
The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second 鈥� and much more difficult 鈥� phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory.
Ceasefire leaves questions about Gaza's future unanswered
Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. are expected to meet in Cairo on Thursday for talks on implementing the agreement, which came after a year of intensive talks with repeated setbacks.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 Mideast envoy joined the talks in the final weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trump鈥檚 team are taking credit for the breakthrough.
Many longer-term questions about postwar Gaza remain, including who will rule the territory or oversee the .
Israel has come under heavy international criticism, including from its closest ally, the United States, over the civilian toll in Gaza. It also blames Hamas for the civilian casualties, accusing it of using schools, hospitals and residential areas for military purposes.
Hamas, , has come under overwhelming pressure from Israeli military operations, including the invasion of Gaza鈥檚 largest cities and towns and the takeover of the border between Gaza and Egypt. Its top leaders, , who was believed to have helped mastermind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, have been killed.
But its fighters have regrouped in some of the hardest-hit areas after the withdrawal of Israeli forces, raising the prospect of a prolonged insurgency if the war continues.
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Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press reporter Sam McNeil in southern Israel contributed.
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Tia Goldenberg, Wafaa Shurafa And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press
