Biden administration responds after Israel delays Hamas deal

Channel 12 (one of Israel's most watched commercial television channels) reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a cabinet meeting to vote on the deal only on January 18, instead of January 17.

The report said there would not be enough time to hold both the security cabinet and full cabinet votes before the Sabbath (January 17), forcing the full cabinet meeting to be postponed until the evening of January 18.

The government then needs another 24 hours for the Supreme Court to receive petitions challenging the deal before it can proceed.

Channel 12 said the White House was furious at the decision and warned that a further delay could lead to complications in implementing the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas with the mediation of the US, Qatar and Egypt.

For its part, the Hamas movement in Gaza has denied accusations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on January 16 that Hamas had "abandoned parts of the agreement" reached with mediators and Israel in an attempt to demand last-minute concessions.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, said such accusations were “baseless,” while Izzat al-Rashq, another senior Hamas official, insisted the movement remained committed to the ceasefire and hostage-return agreement announced by the mediators.

Meanwhile, the Forum for Families of Hostage and Missing Persons called on the Israeli government to ratify the ceasefire-hostage release deal announced by mediators on January 15, amid reports that its implementation will be delayed by another day.

In a statement, the Forum for Families of Hostage and Missing Persons stressed that for the hostages, every night that passes is another terrible nightmare, so do not delay their return any longer, and called on decision-makers to put other issues aside and bring all hostages back with the necessary urgency.

It is known that 94 of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023 are still in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 people who have been confirmed dead by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Hamas released 105 civilians during a week-long ceasefire in late November 2023, and had previously released four hostages. Eight hostages were rescued alive by the Israel Defense Forces, and the bodies of 40 hostages were also recovered, including three who were accidentally killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.

Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Gaza Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed in 2014.