Israel’s cabinet reportedly preparing to meet to ratify Gaza ceasefire deal
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Deal with Hamas inches closer amid warnings from Israeli rightwingers against any hostages-for-prisoners agreement. Israel’s cabinet is reportedly preparing to meet to ratify a widely anticipated ceasefire deal with Hamas over Gaza, amid rightwing threats to bring Benjamin Netanyahu’s government down if it agrees to the hostages-for-prisoners agreement.
![[Bezalel Smotrich]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ea2ce12fc2dc6bafad28edd2bb1892b9838c8cea/0_118_5634_3382/master/5634.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Mediators in Doha have been reported to be on the brink of a deal for the past two days, with varying accounts circulated on who and what is to blame for the 11th-hour delays. Netanyahu’s office denied accounts saying that Hamas had accepted the bargain on the table in in the Qatari capital.
Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, was expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday evening, adding to the air of expectation. With anticipation of a deal rising, Netanyahu and his defence minister, Israel Katz, met one of the leading far-right figures in the coalition, the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich. Smotrich has been highly critical of proposed deals with Hamas and fellow hardline minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has asked him to join forces and pull their respective parties out of the coalition if the deal is agreed, potentially causing the government to fall.
However, unlike Ben-Gvir, public opinion polls suggest Smotrich could face political oblivion in the event of new elections, and political analysts point out he has more of an incentive to keep the Netanyahu coalition afloat. According to an Israeli television report, Smotrich presented Netanyahu with a list of conditions for his support, including a pledge to go back to war if Hamas emerges from the ruins still in control of the Gaza Strip, and to strictly limit the quantity of humanitarian aid allowed in.
