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Israel delays vote to approve Gaza ceasefire deal

Published

1 year ago

2025/01/17

Priyan

Strikes continued in Gaza overnight on Wednesday after the ceasefire deal was announced [BBC]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed a cabinet vote to approve the Gaza ceasefire deal, due on Thursday, accusing Hamas of seeking last-minute changes to the agreement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a “loose end” was being tied up and that he was confident the ceasefire would still begin on Sunday as planned.

Although Israeli negotiators agreed to the deal after months of talks, it cannot be implemented until it is approved by the security cabinet and government.

Hamas said it was committed to the deal, but the BBC understands it was trying to add some of its members to the list of Palestinian prisoners that would be released under the deal.

The delay came after Israeli strikes in Gaza following Wednesday’s announcement of a deal killed more than 80 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

A few hours before the Thursday morning meeting was due, Netanyahu accused Hamas of trying to “extort last minute concessions”.

The cabinet would not convene until Hamas accepted “all elements of the agreement,” a statement from his office read.

Blinken said such a delay was to be expected in such a “challenging” situation. “It’s not exactly surprising that in a process and negotiation that has been this challenging and this fraught, you may get a loose end,” he told a press conference in Washington. “We’re tying up that loose end as we speak.”

He said the US was “confident” the deal would come into force on Sunday as planned, and that the ceasefire would then persist.

Israeli media reported that the cabinet was expected to meet on Friday to approve the deal and that the alleged issue had been resolved, although this was not officially confirmed.

A majority of Israeli ministers are expected to back the deal, but late on Thursday Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his right-wing party would quit Netanyahu’s government if it was approved.

“The deal that is taking shape is a reckless deal,” Ben-Gvir told a news conference, adding it would “erase the achievements of the war”.

However, he said his Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party would not seek to topple the government should the deal be ratified.

He urged the leader of the other far-right party in government, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionist party, to join him in resigning.

Ohad Tal, the party’s chair in Israel’s parliament, told BBC that it was “debating” whether to leave Netanyahu’s government over the deal.

EPA Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir delivering a statement to the media, at his ministry headquarters in Jerusalem. He wears glasses, a red tie and white shirt, and stands in front of an Israeli flag. — Ben Gvir said the deal would “erase the achievements of the war” [BBC]

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group was committed to the agreement announced by the mediators.

The head of Hamas’s delegation, Khalil al-Hayya, officially informed Qatar and Egypt of its approval of all the terms of the agreement, the official told the BBC.

But BBC Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf understands that Hamas was attempting to add the names of one or two symbolic members to the list of prisoners that would be released under the deal.

The first six-week phase of the deal would see 33 hostages – including women, children and elderly people – exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Israeli troops would also withdraw to the east, away from densely populated areas of Gaza.

Displaced Palestinians would be able to start returning to their homes and hundreds of aid lorries would be allowed entry to the territory each day.

Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a return to “sustainable calm” – would start on the 16th day.

The third and final stage would involve the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies and the reconstruction of Gaza – something which could take years.

*The ceasefire is due to begin on Sunday, should it be approved [BBC]*

Israeli air strikes continued after the deal was announced on Wednesday. At least 12 people were killed in Gaza City, where a doctor told the BBC staff “did not rest for one minute” during the “bloody night”.

Strikes were carried out on 50 targets in Gaza since the deal’s announcement, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency said in a statement.

The prime minister of Qatar – which mediated negotiations – called for “calm” on both sides before the start of the first six-week phase of the ceasefire deal.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas – which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and others – in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 46,788 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has also been displaced, there is widespread destruction and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter, while aid agencies struggle to get help to those in need.

Israel says 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, 34 of whom are presumed dead. There are four Israelis who were abducted before the war, two of whom are dead.

***[BBC]***

Getty Images Palestinian residents inspect the area among the rubble of damaged buildings — Ben Gvir said the deal would “erase the achievements of the war” [BBC]

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group was committed to the agreement announced by the mediators.

The head of Hamas’s delegation, Khalil al-Hayya, officially informed Qatar and Egypt of its approval of all the terms of the agreement, the official told the BBC.

But BBC Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf understands that Hamas was attempting to add the names of one or two symbolic members to the list of prisoners that would be released under the deal.

The first six-week phase of the deal would see 33 hostages – including women, children and elderly people – exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Israeli troops would also withdraw to the east, away from densely populated areas of Gaza.

Displaced Palestinians would be able to start returning to their homes and hundreds of aid lorries would be allowed entry to the territory each day.

Negotiations for the second phase – which should see the remaining hostages released, a full Israeli troop withdrawal and a return to “sustainable calm” – would start on the 16th day.

The third and final stage would involve the return of any remaining hostages’ bodies and the reconstruction of Gaza – something which could take years.

*The ceasefire is due to begin on Sunday, should it be approved [BBC]*

Israeli air strikes continued after the deal was announced on Wednesday. At least 12 people were killed in Gaza City, where a doctor told the BBC staff “did not rest for one minute” during the “bloody night”.

Strikes were carried out on 50 targets in Gaza since the deal’s announcement, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency said in a statement.

The prime minister of Qatar – which mediated negotiations – called for “calm” on both sides before the start of the first six-week phase of the ceasefire deal.

Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas – which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and others – in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 46,788 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has also been displaced, there is widespread destruction and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter, while aid agencies struggle to get help to those in need.

Israel says 94 of the hostages are still being held by Hamas, 34 of whom are presumed dead. There are four Israelis who were abducted before the war, two of whom are dead.

***[BBC]***

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Committee on Economic Surveillance to be established

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3 hours ago

2026/03/10

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The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President to appoint the Committee on Economic Surveillance headed by the Minister of Labour, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando as the Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning and comprised of the relevant heads of the Institutions and eminencies in the field to provide recommendations to the Cabinet of Ministers on the essential policy precautions to be taken by constantly supervising the impact that can affect Sri Lankan economy due to the conflict in the Middle East.

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Nepal election 2026: Counting continues with rapper Balendra Shah’s party close to super-majority

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Madagascar military leader dissolves government in surprise move

Published

6 hours ago

2026/03/10

Priyan

Col Michael Randrianirina seized power last October in the wake of youth-led protests [BBC]

Madagascar’s military ruler Col Michael Randrianirina has dissolved the government unexpectedly, dismissing the prime minister and the entire cabinet, according to a statement from his spokesperson.

“The government has ceased its functions” it said, adding that Randrianirina will appoint a new prime minister “in line with the provisions stipulated by the constitution”.

No reason was given for the move.

Randrianirina seized power last October from Andry Rajoelina, following weeks of youth-led protests on the Indian Ocean island. Rajoelina had been elected president for a third term in a disputed poll in 2023.

The demonstrations were over persistent power and water shortages, culminating in the army siding with the demonstrators.

Randrianirina has pledged to call new elections within two years.

Last December, the regional bloc, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), directed Madagascar’s military authorities to submit a roadmap for restoring democracy including plans for fresh elections by the end of February.

But in a surprise on Monday, Randrianirina sacked his entire government and assigned permanent secretaries to run ministries’ day-to-day operations until a new cabinet is formed.

Randrianirina has not explained the motivation for the mass sackings, but leaders of the Gen Z movement, whose grassroots mobilisation helped bring the military leader to power, have called for more inclusiveness in the transition process and greater representation in decision-making structures.

Activist groups, calling themselves Gen Z and Gen Y movements, had recently issued a 72-hour ultimatum for Randrianirina’s resignation, citing frustration with his performance, local media reported.

Businessman Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo had been appointed prime minister in October in an effort to bridge the divide between military leadership and civilian government.

The the Gen Z movement leaders rejected his appointment at the time, saying it was made in a “non-transparent” manner and “without consultation”.

The group demanded to know how Rajaonarivelo was selected given what it said were his connection to the previous government.

They then said that the decision “runs contrary to the desired structural change” the movement was seeking.

Monday’s dissolution of the government could mark a significant shift in the country’s political landscape with the military leader seeking to establish a new administration.

[BBC]