Far-right Israeli minister Smotrich vows to vote against Gaza ceasefire deal

Far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has expressed his opposition to a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian Hamas resistance group, saying he will vote against the agreement that brings an end to the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Smotrich made the remarks in an X post on Thursday shortly after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of the ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, which includes the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza, the entry of aid to the besieged territory, and the exchange of Israeli captives with Palestinian abductees.

The extremist minister, who has a history of making hawkish remarks, said he “cannot join in shortsighted celebrations or vote in favor of the deal” due to what he called “immense fear of the consequences of emptying the [Israeli] prisons.”

He further said that immediately after the return of captives, Israel should continue the war for “the real eradication of Hamas.”

The Israeli "security cabinet" is set to meet this afternoon to be briefed on the Gaza ceasefire agreement, with the full cabinet meeting afterward to vote on the deal.

An unnamed Israeli official has told CNN that the vote will only be on a prisoner exchange, and not the entire truce framework.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said that once Israel’s "security cabinet" convenes, there will be a 72-hour countdown for Hamas to release the remaining living Israeli captives held in Gaza.

The ceasefire announcement followed three days of indirect negotiations in Egypt on Trump’s 20-point plan for the Gaza Strip.

Hamas announces reaching deal based on Trump’s proposal aimed at ending US-backed Israeli genocide

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In a statement on Wednesday, Hamas called on Trump, the guarantor states of the deal, and various Arab, Islamic, and international parties, to “compel the occupation … to fully implement the requirements of the agreement, and not allow it to evade or procrastinate in applying what has been agreed upon.”

It also hailed the sacrifices made by the Palestinian people, saying they confronted fascist occupation projects.

The resistance group further pledged not to abandon Palestinians’ national rights until they achieve freedom, independence, and self-determination.

Additionally, the Islamic Jihad resistance group said the ceasefire deal was the result of “enormous sacrifices made by our Palestinian people, and the courage and bravery of its fighters on the ground.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also welcomed the Gaza ceasefire deal, expressing hope that it would be a prelude to the end of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East al-Quds as its capital.

Israel unleashed its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out its historic operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime’s intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The Tel Aviv regime failed to achieve its declared objectives of eliminating Hamas and freeing all captives in Gaza, despite killing, according to the health ministry of Gaza, 67,183 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 169,841 others.

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