Netanyahu says Israel, Hamas work out differences that had delayed ceasefire deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a meeting of Israel’s political security Cabinet on Friday to approve the Gaza Strip ceasefire deal after Israeli and Hamas negotiators worked out their remaining differences.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement early Friday that he had ordered the meeting to approve the deal for later in the day.

Lawmakers would later “convene to approve the deal,” the statement said, without specifying the day.

A security Cabinet vote that had been expected Thursday was delayed by last-minute disputes with Hamas and rifts over the agreement that emerged inside Netanyahu’s governing coalition.

The prime minister’s office said that the families of hostages had been informed of the agreement and that he had instructed the government authority responsible for the hostages to prepare to receive the captives upon their return to Israel.

“The state of Israel is committed to achieving all the goals of the war, including the return of all our hostages – both the living and the dead,” the statement said.

A vocal member of Netanyahu’s governing coalition took a stand against a ceasefire deal late Thursday. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s hard-line national security minister, threatened to resign and remove his party from the Israeli government if the Cabinet voted to approve the provisional ceasefire deal.

“This deal would effectively erase the achievements of the war,” said Ben-Gvir, adding that the ceasefire would leave Hamas in power in Gaza.

While Ben-Gvir’s threat could destabilize Netanyahu’s coalition at a critical time, it was unlikely to scuttle the ceasefire deal, which would free hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Netanyahu would still command a majority of 62 seats in the 120-member Parliament.

Opposition lawmakers have pledged to support Netanyahu’s push for a ceasefire if more hard-line allies leave the coalition. “This is more important than all the differences of opinion that there have ever been between us,” said Yair Lapid, the leader of the parliamentary opposition.

Netanyahu’s announcement suggests that a ceasefire could still come into effect by this weekend. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said Thursday that he was confident the agreement would go into effect as planned Sunday.

President Joe Biden and other mediators announced Wednesday that Israeli and Hamas negotiators in Qatar had reached a deal to stop the fighting and free hostages held in Gaza. The difficulties Thursday underscored the volatility of the truce and prompted fears of further delays.

President-elect Donald Trump, who had pressured the parties to reach an agreement before his inauguration Monday, repeated his warning that he wanted the deal closed before he took office in a podcast interview Thursday. He told the host, Dan Bongino, that “it better be done.” In December, weeks after he was reelected, Trump said there would be “hell to pay” if a ceasefire and hostage deal was not reached.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.