O VOO DO CORVO

 

 Adam Rasgon

Aaron Boxerman

Updated

Jan. 16, 2025, 8:36 a.m. ET15 minutes ago

Adam Rasgon and Aaron BoxermanReporting from Jerusalem

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/16/world/israel-hamas-gaza-cease-fire

 

Here are the latest developments.

Last-minute disputes appeared to hold up an expected Israeli cabinet vote on Thursday on formally ratifying a cease-fire deal with Hamas that has raised hopes of an end to the devastating 15-month war.

 

By the afternoon, Israel had yet to convene ministers to discuss the proposal, citing disagreements with Hamas. The holdup prompted fears of further delays in implementing the cease-fire agreement, which was announced on Wednesday by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, who collectively brokered the deal.

 

On Thursday morning, the office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement, without specifying which ones. Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the group was committed to the deal.

 

Mediators hope the deal — which would begin with a 42-day truce and the release of some hostages — will ultimately end the war that began with the Hamas-led attack in October 2023 in which 1,200 people in Israel were killed and 250 taken hostage. The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed tens of thousands of Gazans and forced nearly the entire population of the enclave to flee their homes.

 

Negotiators continued to work on the final details of the deal overnight, including lists of the Palestinian prisoners who would be released in exchange for hostages in Gaza. And the fighting continued: Israeli strikes have killed more than 80 Palestinians over the past day, according to the Gazan health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

 

In Israel, some hard-line members of Mr. Netanyahu’s government have opposed the deal. But if it comes to a vote it is expected to gain cabinet approval even without the support of the coalition’s two far-right parties, which do not command a majority in the cabinet.

 

In a statement, Hamas called the cease-fire deal an “achievement for our people” and commended Gazans’ resilience. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas leader, again praised the Hamas-led attacks that prompted the war.

 

Here’s what else to know:

 

The first phase: The cease-fire deal would begin with an initial phase lasting six weeks. It would involve the release of 33 hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow the entry into Gaza of 600 trucks carrying humanitarian relief daily, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by The New York Times.

 

Tempered hope: Many Gazans reacted with hope mixed with sadness, exhaustion and fear. “How can we ever rebuild?” asked Suzanne Abu Daqqa, who lives near the southern city of Khan Younis. “Where will we even begin?” In Israel, the joy and relief that families of hostages expressed has been matched with anxiety that many could be left behind.

 

A diminished Hamas: The nearly uninterrupted fighting in Gaza has left the militant group severely battered, with many of its military commanders killed, including its longtime leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.