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Will Israel's far-right thwart a Gaza ceasefire deal, again?
The Israeli far-right has slammed a Gaza ceasefire deal that is on the brink of being agreed upon between Israel and Hamas, arguing instead that the war on Gaza must continue, amid fears they could scupper the truce.
Extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich again called for Israel to continue its military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, describing the ceasefire deal as a "surrender" to Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently trying to persuade Smotrich not to exit the government if a ceasefire deal is reached, according to Israeli media reports.
Smotrich, who is also the head of the Religious Zionism party, said on Sunday that his part "will not be part of" the deal which he dubbed a "catastrophe for Israel’s national security".
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has called on Smotrich to quit the government if an agreement is reached.
Members of the Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism and Netanyahu's Likud party also signed a letter rejecting any deal that does not include the release of all captives at once rather than in stages.
Despite the far-right backlash, the government would still have a majority to approve the deal even if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich resigned.
Smotrich has also outlined a list of demands from Netanyahu, including insisting that no changes are made to the government's war goals of bringing captives back to Israel and "destroying Hamas".
According to Israeli media, Netanyahu has told Smotrich that he is being pressured to accept a deal as Israel cannot afford to miss opportunities which will likely come from the incoming Trump administration, which he anticipates as being more supportive of Israel.
He also reportedly added that it is unclear if there would be another chance for a captive-prisoner exchange deal if it was not completed now.
However, others in the coalition are backing the truce deal, including the Agudat Yisrael faction which is part of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party. They called on the government to "act decisively and quickly, without involving political considerations or other interests".
Appeasing the far-right
Netanyahu has endeavoured to appease the far-right with a backlash from extremist ministers possibly thwarting the deal.
The Israeli Kan public broadcaster said Netanyahu is offering Smotrich favourable "gains" in response, including allowing settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and ramping up security along territories with Israel.
The offer also includes Smotrich and Ben-Gvir being allowed to claim credit for the moves.
Israel prepares to receive captives
Meanwhile, Netanyahu met with the families of captives, reiterating to them that when Trump takes office on 20 January, "the rules of the fame will fundamentally change" and "for every violation of the ceasefire there will be a harsh and strong response which we have not seen yet".
Some of the families expressed fears the ceasefire will not hold or enter into the second phase, and 65 captives will remain in Gaza.
However, Israel is already preparing for the release of the captives when the ceasefire is announced, with hospitals reportedly on high alert in the coming days in anticipation of receiving the captives.
According to Israel's health ministry, the captives will be received in the Sheba, Ichilov, Beilinson, Shamir and Soroka hospitals where they will be treated and isolated for a short period.
Israel's Prisons Authority also said it was making plans on how to transport Palestinian detainees who would be released as part of the deal.
Reports indicated that buses transporting them would prevent the detainees from extending their hands out of the windows to avoid making any victory gestures in front of cameras.
The windows were likely going to be blacked out and the buses would be in the middle of a convoy of special units and security teams.