US 'confident' Gaza ceasefire will begin Sunday. What's the hitch?

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of trying to "extort last-minute concessions" on a ceasefire deal both parties had agreed to a day earlier, delaying a vote on the truce in Israel's cabinet Thursday.

The three-stage agreement is intended to see, in its first phase, 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails. The full details of the deal have not been publicly released, but it includes a Gaza ceasefire, exchange of captives and the gradual, phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory – leading ultimately, officials hope, to an end to the nearly 16-month-old war.

U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators confirmed the broad outlines of the agreement that Israel and Hamas committed to Wednesday. Since then, Hamas has said it backs the truce, which is expected to begin Sunday, last for six weeks and lead to dozens of hostage releases in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoner releases.

Ceasefire, hostage release: Israel and Hamas reach deal on Gaza

But Netanyahu's office said Thursday the cabinet "will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement." Netanyahu accused Hamas of creating a "crisis" in finalizing the deal, an accusation that Hamas has repeatedly rejected over the 24 hours since the agreement's unveiling.

So which is it? A deal or no deal? And what's the hitch, if there is one?

The agreement was announced by President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump and Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. All said the deal had been approved by Israel and Hamas, though it has not yet formally passed through Israel's cabinet ? or rather its two cabinets. First, the agreement must be approved by Israel's 11-member security cabinet and then by a wider cabinet comprised of 34 ministers.

The deal is expected to pass those cabinet votes.

Netanyahu's office has not released further details about the parts of the agreement for which it says Hamas is attempting to extract additional concessions. However, Netanyahu has, for months, been scrambling to keep his coalition government intact. It is held together, in part, by right-wing parties that bitterly oppose the ceasefire.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu's far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to quit the coalition if the deal went through. Bezalel Smotrich, his far-right finance minister, said something similar. In recent days, hundreds of Israelis with right-wing views have taken to the streets to protest the agreement.

It's difficult to assess the seriousness of those resignation threats.

Nimrod Novik, a foreign policy fellow at Israel Policy Forum think tank and former adviser to Israel's late prime minister Shimon Peres, said he views them as a "bluff."

"They'll flex muscle, vote against the deal, but stick with the government," he said of the right-wing party officials.

One Israeli source familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the delay may be political. However, the same source did not believe that Netanyahu would ultimately defy Trump, his close ally, who has made it clear he wants a deal in place before he takes office on Monday.

Still, one report the BBC published Thursday suggested that Hamas may have tried at the last minute to insert the names of one or two high-profile prisoners it considers "symbolic" to boost its popularity in Gaza. Many Palestinians, especially in Gaza, the BBC noted, hold Hamas responsible for the destruction and suffering they have experienced following its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

However, the issue is nothing if not complicated. Palestinian support for Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza remains high, polls show, and Hamas has been able to recruit nearly as many new fighters as Israel killed during its offensive on Gaza over the last year and a half, according to the U.S. State Department.

'Self-silencing': For Palestinians, talking about Hamas comes with hazards

Speaking at his final news conference as the U.S.'s top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday he was "confident," adding, "I fully expect that implementation will begin, as we said, on Sunday."

Blinken said for such a complex and challenging deal, with so much at stake, it was not surprising that in the process "you may get a loose end."

"We're tying up that loose end as we speak," he said.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US 'confident' Gaza ceasefire will happen. What's the hitch?