Israel’s cabinet set to approve ceasefire deal as at least 20 killed in strikes on Gaza – BBC.com
US officials say they are “confident” a Gaza ceasefire will go ahead on Sunday, after Israel accused Hamas of backtracking on a dealHamas says it is committed to the deal, but the BBC’s Rushdi Abualouf hears the group is attempting a last-minute push for the release of one or two symbolic prisoners from its movementA planned Israeli cabinet vote on the agreement has been pushed back The health ministry in Gaza says dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire announcementMy brother, displaced and living in a torn and weathered tent in Gaza, dreams of returning home, writes our correspondent Adnan El-BurshHamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostagesThe attack triggered a massive Israeli offensive on Gaza, during which more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministryThis video can not be playedWatch: How people in Gaza and Israel responded to the ceasefire dealEdited by Emily McGarvey, with Joel Gunter reporting from Jerusalem and Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf reporting from IstanbulA view of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip this weekWe’re pausing our live coverage after Israel delayed a vote to approve the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.Here are the latest developments from the past 24 hours: We are pausing our live coverage for now. You can keep up with all the latest news below:Aid convoys have been making their way to the Gaza border in anticipation of the deal coming into forceAntoine Renard, spokesman for the World Food Programme (WFP), says people in Gaza deserve to get back on their feet after 15 months of aid restrictions. For context: Before 7 October attack, 500 aid trucks entered Gaza every day, according to the UN, which dropped to nine a day in the period after the war began. At the beginning of January it was averaging 51 truckloads daily.Earlier, Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Israel should completely stop aid entering the Gaza Strip until hostages return – at the same time threatening to resign from government if the ceasefire deal is ratified. Renard says the WFP has been providing only a third of the rations that people are supposed to have, and have been forced to stop key bakeries running because of a lack of fuel. The ceasefire deal would allow 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza each day, including 50 carrying fuel – which Renard calls a “lifeline” for the “2.2m people who rely on assistance”. Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, has pledged his support to Prime Minister Netanyahu after Israel’s security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his party will resign from the government if it approves the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party, posted on X: “I say to Benjamin Netanyahu, don’t be afraid or intimidated, you will get every safety net you need to make the hostage deal.”This is more important than any disagreement we’ve ever had.”Jonah FisherReporting from JerusalemThis announcement from Ben-Gvir is him distancing himself from the deal – but unwilling to take the nuclear option – to try and bring down Netanyahu.The ceasefire deal is still likely to be voted through by a majority in Netanyahu’s security cabinet and government.But it’s left Israel’s prime minister looking vulnerable.All eyes are now on the other far-right party in Netanyahu’s government, the Religious Zionist party, which is led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Ben-Gvir urged him to join him in leaving the government.That would turn Netanyahu’s government into a minority administration and extremely fragile.Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit or “Jewish Power” party is on the extreme far-right in Israel with racist and anti-Arab policies.In recent days Ben-Gvir has claimed to have thwarted previous attempts to have ended the war in Gaza and has been arguing that the IDF should continue fighting until a complete military victory over Hamas is achieved.A lot has happened since the ceasefire deal was announced yesterday. Let’s take a look at how the deal was agreed on and what’s happened since:We’ll continue bringing you the latest developments as we receive them.Ben-Gvir says that if the government votes through the deal, his party will not topple his government – but they will not be part of it.He calls on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “not take us backwards”, and asks him to stop the “terrible” deal. Instead, Ben-Gvir wants the government to take steps that will lead to the release of the hostages and victory in the war.With that, he concludes his comments.Ben-Gvir says that the ceasefire agreement is “terrible”.He says his party will resign if Israel’s parliament votes in favour of the deal. “This is a terrible deal and if it will actually go through, we members of Otzma Yehudit will give letters of resignation to the prime minister, we will no longer be part of the government and we will leave it.”Ben-Gvir adds that if the war is “renewed” to defeat Hamas, “we will offer to return”.Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has taken to the podium.He starts by saying the ceasefire deal is “terrible” because it includes the release of “hundreds of murderers” and requires Israel to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor.We’re expecting a statement from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT).Ben-Gvir, part of the hardline right-wing faction of the government, has threatened to quit the government coalition if a ceasefire deal were to go ahead.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has also threatened to leave the government coalition if the ceasefire goes ahead, with the chair of his Religious Zionist party telling the BBC today that the group is actively discussing this. Their departure could prompt fresh elections in Israel, but would not block the ceasefire deal if Netanyahu wants it to happen, observers say.We’ll bring you all the key lines from Ben-Gvir’s statement, so stay with us.Itamar Ben-Gvir, pictured last monthThere are more reports that the Israeli cabinet vote on the ceasefire deal has been pushed back to tomorrow When asked if the cabinet would meet on Friday to vote on the deal, an official told the AFP news agency: “Yes.”As a reminder, the Israeli cabinet had been due to meet earlier today to vote – but this was delayed after Israel accused Hamas of trying to change the terms of the deal. Hamas denied this and said it was committed to the terms of the deal.We’re seeing reports from Israel indicating that issues preventing the ceasefire deal being finalised today have been resolved by negotiators in Qatar. The BBC has also spoken to a Palestinian source, who confirms this to be the case. According to Israeli media, the cabinet will meet tomorrow to give the deal final approval, ahead of it coming into effect on Sunday. Tom BatemanReporting from the State Department briefing roomThe “farewell” news conference of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has just wrapped up.He expressed his confidence that the ceasefire, once in place, would persist. Asked about US President-elect Donald Trump’s involvement, he paid tribute to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, who joined the negotiations in Qatar’s capital of Doha at the end. But he pushed back at the claim it was only Trump’s pressure that got the deal over the line, saying it was the work by US President Joe Biden and his teams that did it. Blinken revealed that at one point that during the negotiations, he told the Qataris directly that Hamas’ political office was “no longer welcome” in Doha, which precipitated their move to Turkey in November. I pressed Blinken on whether he was pushing Israel to now end its ban on international journalists entering Gaza, to which he said “yes”, adding: “I fully expect that to happen, especially in the context of the ceasefire.”Adnan El-BurshGaza correspondent, reporting from DohaJust hours ago, my cousin’s home was bombed, killing my
childhood friend Marwan Al-Bursh and his eldest son Salah.I thought the
ceasefire might bring an end to news of loss, but it keeps happening – as
though this brief window before the truce begins has become an open invitation
for more destruction.My brother, displaced and living in a torn and weathered
tent in Khan Younis, speaks of the bitter cold and the constant fear that grips
his children. Their tent, exposed to the sea, barely shields them from the
freezing winds. Like so many others, he dreams of returning to the north, to
our hometown in Jabalia, but even that hope feels distant. The agreement
stipulates that the return of displaced families can only begin a week after
the truce takes hold, prolonging the pain of waiting.This fragile peace comes with lingering questions about
Gaza’s future. Who will rebuild Gaza? What will become of its people? And will
this ceasefire truly hold, or is it destined to collapse like others before it? For now, hope is overshadowed by the weight of grief, and the looming
possibility of unfulfilled promises leaves hearts heavy with doubt.Adnan El-BurshGaza correspondent, reporting from DohaThe announcement of a ceasefire agreement brought a surge
of cautious hope to Palestinians, who have endured over a year of unrelenting
war marked by devastation and despair.For many, this news felt like the first
flicker of light after months of darkness – a potential end to what they describe
as a “campaign of annihilation”.Yet, this relief is tempered by fear. The agreement does
not take effect immediately, leaving a precarious three-day window during which
violence has escalated dramatically.In just 24 hours, over 80 lives were lost,
with more than 200 injured, as Israel intensified its military operations.The delay in implementation has turned these days into a
painful extension of suffering, robbing families of the chance to embrace the
ceasefire as a tangible reality.Mallory MoenchLive reporterCarmel Gat was taken hostage on 7 October 2023, before she was shot and killed by Hamas, Israel said in September.Her cousin, Gil Dickmann, tells the BBC the ceasefire deal is “bittersweet” – given she had been due to be released in two previous ceasefire deals which failed.Dickmann is “really happy” for other families of hostages who feel like his own, but angry that a version of the deal was introduced by US President Joe Biden in May, saying “I totally blame my government” it didn’t go through. Hamas and Israel blamed each other for delays. He believes “the Trump effect” – referring to the incoming US president – sealed the deal.He is also concerned the deal’s first stage will only release 33 hostages. Negotiations for the second stage, which would free remaining living hostages, will start on the 16th day of the ceasefire, which he said is “too late“.“As a [relative] of a hostage who was murdered in captivity because a deal didn’t come in time, we need to make sure and we deserve to know that no more hostages are going to be killed for this reason.”Bassem Naim says Hamas is “fully committed” to the dealA Hamas spokesman says the group did not renege on its commitments as part of the ceasefire agreement, disputing claims by Israel that Hamas had made last-minute changes. Speaking to the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme, Bassem Naim, the head of Hamas’ political and international relations, says: “We are fully committed to the deal… This is the deal of May 2024 which we have accepted and agreed upon, and at that time it was rejected by Netanyahu and his government”.He went on to blame the Israeli prime minister’s political troubles on the delay to the signing of the ceasefire, saying Netanyahu is “trying to sabotage the positive atmosphere”.Asked about Hamas’ future in Gaza, Naim says the group was prepared to hold elections in the territory.Pressed on whether Hamas would accept the results of an election that rejected them, he says: “We are part of the Palestinian people… We are ready to give the people the choice to choose their leadership.” Tom BatemanReporting from US State Department briefing roomAfter the last protest here during US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s briefing, there’s been another. An independent reporter has just been dragged out of the room by security officials. He interrupted Blinken’s speech several times, claiming that he had been denied the opportunity to ask any questions and shouted, accusing the diplomat of being a “war criminal” as he was being pulled away.Watch the clip of the moment below:This video can not be playedReporter removed after interrupting Blinken’s last speechTom BatemanReporting from State Department briefing roomHere in the US State Department briefing room, the start of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s “farewell” news conference has just been interrupted by a heckler from the press seats. I just watched as a man three rows behind me shouted at Blinken: “How does it feel to have your legacy be genocide?”He continued for some time, filming himself and the podium, shouting: “Three-hundred reporters in Gaza were on the receiving end of your bombs.”The protester was escorted out of the room by State Department officials before Blinken said: “I’ve got a few more things to say [then] I’m happy to take any questions about anything, as we’ve done these past four years.”By Matt MurphyAccording to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, 46,788 people have died
since Israel launched its military operations in October 2023.The figures don’t distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters. The Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) told BBC Verify it has killed 17,000 Hamas fighters as of September 2024.
It has not explained how it established
that figure.Zaher al-Wahidi, head of the health ministry’s information unit, explained to the BBC that
a death is recorded when a body has been transported to a hospital and has been
declared dead by medical professionals.In addition, the ministry has created an online portal for
families to report the deaths of loved ones not recorded by hospital
authorities, which officials then seek to verify.In both cases, only those holding a valid ID number
are added to the official figures.Al-Wahidi told the BBC in
September that this
methodology could
lead to an underestimate, as many of those killed in conflict zones could be buried under the
rubble of destroyed buildings.Israel insists that the figures provided by the health ministry
are not reliable, but has not provided any evidence to support this claim. A recent
paper published
in British medical journal the Lancet suggested that the true death toll could be as high
as 64,260 as of June 2024. The Gaza health ministry had reported 37,877 deaths by the end
of June.Here’s a quick round-up of what international leaders are saying about the ceasefire deal:You can find what UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had to say earlier here.© 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
