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January 18, 2025 - Middle East ceasefire news [1]

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Date: 2025-01-18 08:54:03.264000+00:00

Members of the Israeli far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party have announced their intention to resign from their government positions over the ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas.

In a statement on Saturday, the party condemned the “reckless agreement” that they said would release “hundreds of murderers with the blood of men, women, and children on their hands,” referring to the Palestinian prisoners set to be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for the hostages.

The party also argued that the deal would amount to the “forfeiture” of the Israeli military’s achievements in the war.

“This agreement constitutes a surrender to Hamas,” the party statement read.

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister for the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and Minister of Heritage Amihai Eliyahu will submit their resignation letters on Sunday morning, according to the Otzma Yehudit statement.

Otzma Yehudit’s departure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile governing coalition will not by itself be enough to topple the government.

On Saturday, Netanyahu said that the deal includes Israel’s right to return to war if Hamas does not abide by the agreement.

Ben Gvir later issued a statement that appeared to be a response to Netanyahu’s address, saying, “Given that Hamas has not yet been defeated, it is clear that we must return to war – and therefore, this should not be conditional.”

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[1] Url: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-hamas-ceasefire-war-palestine-01-18-25/index.html

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