'No Ceasefire Agreement Yet': Netanyahu's Office Rejects Hamas Approval Reports

A day after reports suggested that Hamas accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage release deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denied the claim.

"Contrary to reports, the Hamas terror organisation has not yet returned its response to the deal," Netanyahu's office clarified.

However, The Times of Israel and other media outlets reported that officials in Jerusalem indicated the deal was expected to be signed by the evening, with a joint declaration potentially announced within 24 hours. "If approved by the Israeli cabinet, the agreement could move forward within 48 hours, allowing for Supreme Court appeals, and implementation might begin on Sunday with the release of the first hostages", it added.

Meanwhile, Reuters, citing an official, stated that Hamas has not yet provided a written response to the ceasefire proposal currently under negotiation in Qatar.

Israeli media initially suggested that with Hamas’s alleged approval, the agreement could be formally announced Thursday, setting the stage for implementation by Sunday.

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent the past year trying to mediate an end to the war and secure the release of dozens of hostages captured in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered it. Nearly 100 people are still captive inside Gaza, and the military believes at least a third are dead.

Any deal is expected to pause the fighting and bring hopes for winding down the most deadly and destructive war Israel and Hamas have ever fought, a conflict that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

It would bring relief to the hard-hit Gaza Strip, where Israel's offensive has reduced large areas to rubble and displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million, many at risk of famine.

If a deal is reached, it would not go into effect immediately. The plan would need approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet and then his full Cabinet. Both are dominated by Netanyahu allies and are likely to approve any proposal he presents.

Officials have expressed optimism before, only for negotiations to stall while the warring sides blamed each other. But they now suggest they can conclude an agreement ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, whose Mideast envoy has joined the negotiations.

In the Oct. 7 attack, Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted another 250. Around half of those hostages were freed during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. Of those remaining, families say, two are children, 13 are women and 83 are men.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants.

Israeli airstrikes on two homes in central Gaza killed at least 17 Palestinians late Tuesday and wounded seven more, hospital officials said, adding that some of the corpses had been dismembered. Earlier strikes killed at least 18 people, including two women and four children, according to local health officials, who said one woman was pregnant and the baby died as well.

(With AP Inputs)