Cabinet won't meet over ceasefire until Hamas drops new demands: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Thursday his Cabinet won't meet to approve the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages until Hamas backs down, accusing the group of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions. His office did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 72 people since the ceasefire deal was announced, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires go into effect as a way to project strength.

Under the deal expected to begin Sunday, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The remainder, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.

Israel's offensive has killed over 46,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Health Ministry. It does not say how many of the dead were militants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

___  Here's the latest:  A far-right ally of Netanyahu says he'll quit if Israel approves Gaza ceasefire  Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threated on Thursday night to leave the government if Israel approves a ceasefire, but said his party would rejoin the government if fighting in Gaza continued.

Even if Ben-Gvir 's party leaves the government, it does not rob Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a parliamentary majority and force early elections.

It also would not stop a ceasefire deal if the plan comes to a Cabinet vote for approval, which could happen as early as Friday.

Ben-Gvir said the ceasefire was reckless and would destroy all of Israel's achievements.

A settler leader, Ben Gvir has become one of Israel's most influential politicians, reflecting a rightward shift in the Israeli electorate that brought his religious, ultranationalist ideology into the mainstream and diminished hopes for Palestinian independence.

Palestinian leaders in the West Bank get ready for a potential return to Gaza  Palestinian leaders who administer the occupied West Bank are getting ready in case they're tasked with running critical services and setting up an interim government in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa met with top officials to discuss plans for reintegrating government institutions in Gaza, including the territory's health care, education, water and power sectors, as well as coordinating a surge of humanitarian aid.

There's still no plan for who will govern Gaza after the war.

Israel has said it will work with local Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas or the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. But it's unclear if such partners exist, and Hamas has threatened anyone who cooperates with Israeli forces.

EU says it's ready to resume monitoring a key Gaza border crossing  The European Union mission that once monitored the Gaza-Egypt border crossing at Rafah will send a delegation to Cairo early next week to help implement the ceasefire deal, according to the Egyptian government.

A spokesperson for the EU Commission, Anouar El Anouni, confirmed Thursday that the EU was updating our plans to possibly redeploy to Rafah.

He emphasized the deployment remains dependent on full consent from both Israeli and Palestinian authorities.

Since Israeli forces captured the city of Rafah last May, the border has been closed to all civilians. Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian officials have been unable to agree on the terms to reopen it.

The preliminary ceasefire deal calls for hundreds of aid trucks to enter the besieged territory each day.

On Thursday, the EU said it had approved 120 million euros, or some $123 million, worth of humanitarian aid to address food security, shelter and healthcare for Gaza.

Secretary of State Blinken expects the Gaza ceasefire deal will start as planned this weekend  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he fully expects the ceasefire deal in Gaza will be implemented as expected on Sunday, despite Israel pointing to a last-minute dispute with Hamas.

Blinken faced two significant interruptions at his final briefing to reporters in office, both from people accusing him of complicity in Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Diplomatic security physically removed one person who shouted, Why aren't you in the Hague? a reference to the world's top war-crimes court.

Blinken and other members of the Biden administration have faced criticism for the civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as well as for not imposing meaningful restrictions on sending arms to Israel.

Blinken called the ceasefire and hostage deal a moment of historic possibility for the region.

However, he said it would still take tremendous effort, political courage, compromise ... to deliver on the promise of a more integrated Middle East.