Benjamin Netanyahu has this morning accused Hamas of trying to backtrack on the six-week ceasefire and hostage release that was agreed yesterday. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office released a statement saying that Hamas objected to part of the deal that would give Israel the power to veto the release of certain prisoners, and that negotiators had been instructed to hold firm on the agreed terms. The statement also said Hamas was trying to ‘extort last-minute concessions’ – a claim the group denies. An Israeli cabinet vote on the deal, which was expected to take place later today, has been delayed ‘until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all of the agreement’.
Hopes were raised yesterday at the prospect of an end to the bloodshed, some 15 months after fighting first started. However, Israel unleashed a fresh wave of strikes on Gaza overnight and into this morning. At least 81 people have been killed in the area in the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry has said.
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