TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that a “last-minute crisis” with Hamas was preventing the approval of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages.

Netanyahu’s office said his cabinet won’t meet to approve the agreement until Hamas backs down. Without elaborating, Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the deal in an attempt to gain further concessions.

Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement, which was announced by the mediators.”

US President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced the deal on Wednesday, aimed at releasing scores of hostages held in Gaza and winding down a 15-month war that has destabilized the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.

Netanyahu’s office had earlier accused Hamas of backtracking on an earlier understanding that he said would give Israel a veto over which prisoners convicted of murder would be released in exchange for hostages.

Netanyahu has faced significant domestic pressure to bring the hostages home. However, his far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he makes too many concessions.

The Israeli prime minister has enough support from the opposition to approve the agreement, but doing so would weaken his coalition and make early elections more likely.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said at least 48 people were killed in Israeli strikes between midday Wednesday and Thursday morning. Around half of the dead were women and children, Zaher al-Wahedi, head of the ministry’s registration department, told AP. He said the toll could rise as hospitals update their records.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its casualty reports. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up their actions in the final hours before ceasefires to project strength.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, and the Israeli military believes around a third and up to half of them are dead.

Under the deal reached Wednesday, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Israeli forces will pull back from many areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will be able to return to what’s left of their homes, and there will be a surge of humanitarian assistance.

The remainder of the hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second — and much more complicated — phase that will be negotiated during the first.

Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a complete IDF withdrawal. At the same time, Israel has vowed to keep fighting until it dismantles the group and to maintain open-ended security control over the territory. — Euronews