Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, said that a “last minute crisis” with Hamas had prevented Israel from approving a ceasefire long-awaited that would have halted the fighting in Gaza Strip and released dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes killed 72 people in Gaza’s war-ravaged area.

Netanyahu started to signal that there were problems with the agreement just hours after U.S. president Joe Biden announced it had been completed. This objection created a double reality: war-weary Palestinians, relatives of hostages in Gaza and world leaders welcomed the agreement that was expected to start Sunday, despite Netanyahu’s claim that it wasn’t finalized.

The deal may be at risk, but it was unclear if Netanyahu was merely jockeying for his coalition to stay together.

Netanyahu’s office stated that his Cabinet will not meet to approve the deal unless Hamas backs off. It accused Hamas of violating parts of the agreement to try to get further concessions.

1776 Coalition Sponsored Double your Support for Israel A generous donor has made a $1 million pledge to match your donation dollar for dollar for urgently needed life-saving equipment for Israel’s soldiers that will be distributed by our organization, the Genesis123 Foundation! It’s only good for contributions made this month. You can keep Israel safe & double your impact. Please do your part to ensure we receive 100% of the matching funds.

Izzat al Rishq, Hamas’ senior official, stated that the militant group was “committed to the ceasefire announcement made by the mediators.”

In the deal announced on Wednesday, scores of hostages in Gaza would be released. There would also be a pause to fighting in order to end a 15-month conflict that has destabilized Middle East and sparked protests around the world.

Hamas started the war by attacking Israel from across the border on Oct. 7, 2023. It killed 1,200 people, and held 250 hostage.

Israel has responded with an offensive that has resulted in the deaths of over 46,000 Palestinians. Local health officials do not differentiate between militants and civilians but state that women and children account for more than half those killed. Israel claims to have killed more than 17,000 fighters without providing any evidence.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced from their homes by the military campaign, which has also destroyed vast areas of Gaza. According to UN officials, hundreds of thousands are suffering from hunger and disease in filthy tent camps along the coast.

Netanyahu’s office had earlier accused Hamas that it was backtracking from an agreement which he claimed would give Israel the right to veto on which prisoners convicted for murder would be exchanged in return for hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister was under intense domestic pressure to return the hostages. However, his far-right partners in coalition threatened to topple his government if it made too many concessions. The Israeli prime minister has enough support from the opposition to approve an accord even without these partners. However, doing so would weaken their coalition.

Itamar Gvir, a member of his extreme right-wing coalition, has already spoken out against the agreement. Bezalel smotrich posted late Wednesday on X that he demanded “absolute assurance” that Israel could resume the war in the future, and called the current deal for Israel “bad and dangerous”.

The government could be seriously affected by the departure of either of these factions, and elections may need to be called sooner.

Palestinians in Gaza have reported that Israel bombarded them heavily overnight, as they celebrated the ceasefire agreement. Both sides have increased military operations before ceasefires in previous conflicts to show strength.

“We expected that the occupation would increase the bombing like they did each time there was a report on progress in the negotiations (trixie),” said Mohammed Mahdi who fled his home several months ago and now seeks refuge in Gaza City.

Ahmed Mattar who lives near Al-Ahly Hospital in the city said that he heard’massive airstrikes’ overnight.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says that Israeli strikes killed at least 72 Palestinians since the ceasefire agreement was announced. The Gaza Health Ministry said that only the bodies taken to two Gaza City hospitals from the strikes on Thursday were included in the death toll.

Zaher al Wahedi is the head of registration at the Ministry.

On Thursday, an Associated Press reporter near the Gaza border on the Israeli side heard additional airstrikes.

In the agreement reached on Wednesday, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinians in prison in exchange for 33 of the 100 remaining hostages in Gaza over the next six-week period. Israeli forces are expected to withdraw from a number of areas. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will be able return to their homes and there will be an influx of humanitarian aid.

The remaining hostages — including male soldiers — will be released during a second, more difficult phase, which will be negotiated in the first. Hamas said that it would not release any remaining hostages without a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal. Israel, on the other hand, has promised to continue fighting until the group is dismantled and it maintains open-ended control of the territory.

On Thursday, Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. will meet in Cairo for discussions on the implementation of the agreement. This came after an intensive year of talks, with many setbacks.

The U.S. President elect Donald Trump’s Mideast Envoy took part in the final talks, and both Trump’s team and the outgoing administration claim credit for the breakthrough.

There are still many questions to be answered about Gaza after the war, such as who will govern the territory and oversee the massive task of reconstruction.

Israel has been heavily criticized by the international community, including its closest ally the United States, for the death toll of civilians in Gaza. Hamas is also blamed for civilian deaths, with the accusation that it uses schools, hospitals, and residential areas as military bases.

Hamas is a militant organization that rejects Israel’s existence. Israeli military operations have put Hamas under tremendous pressure, including the invasion and occupation of Gaza’s biggest cities and towns, and the taking over of the border between Gaza, Egypt, and Gaza. Hamas’ top leaders have all been killed, including Yahya sinwar, believed to be the mastermind of the attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

After the withdrawal of Israeli troops, its fighters have regrouped themselves in some of those areas that were hardest hit. This raises the possibility of a long-lasting insurgency in the event of continued fighting.