Far-right Israeli minister refuses to back Gaza ceasefire deal in Cabinet voting

By Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he will not vote in favor of a Gaza ceasefire agreement with Palestinians in Thursday’s Cabinet meeting.

In a statement on the US social media company X, Smotrich said he has “great fear of the consequences” of releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages.

“For this reason alone, we cannot join the short-sighted celebrations and vote in favor of the deal,” he said.

The extremist minister said that it is “a tremendous responsibility to ensure” that Israel continues its attacks on the Gaza Strip “with all its might” and “immediately after the hostages return home.”

A ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas early Thursday in Egypt’s Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, based on a plan presented by US President Donald Trump.

The Israeli Cabinet is set to convene at 3 pm local time (1200GMT) to approve the ceasefire deal.

Trump’s 20-point plan, first announced on Sept. 29, includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, and the rebuilding of Gaza.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.