When you make deals with villains, here's what you can expect

BOMBSHELL: Hamas Throws Last-Minute Wrench in Ceasefire Deal

Just as mothers and fathers dared to imagine holding their children again after 466 days of torment, Hamas threw the carefully crafted ceasefire deal into chaos with an eleventh-hour demand to release the very terrorists Israel had vowed must stay behind bars, leaving exhausted negotiators scrambling and hostage families once again suspended between hope and despair.

Gila Isaacson | JFeed | 09:06 | 1 min read |

Empty coffins with the Israeli flag seen as part of a protest against the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, outside PM Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem. January 16, 2025 (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

In a dramatic eleventh-hour development, Hamas is attempting to rewrite key terms of the ceasefire agreement just hours after Qatar and the U.S. announced a deal had been reached, Israel's Prime Minister's Office revealed Thursday morning.

At the heart of the dispute is Hamas's new demand to strip Israel of its veto power over the release of convicted mass murderers - a safeguard explicitly written into the original agreement to prevent the release of terrorists who could inspire further attacks. The move threatens to derail what appeared to be a breakthrough in the 466-day conflict.

"Hamas has reneged on parts of the agreement in an effort to extort last-minute concessions," the Prime Minister's Office stated, adding that Israel's Cabinet will not convene until mediators confirm Hamas has accepted all elements of the original deal. "Among other things - in contradiction to the explicit section giving Israel the right to veto the release of mass murderers who are a symbol of terror, Hamas is demanding to dictate the identities of these terrorists."

The sudden complication has thrown the carefully choreographed next steps into uncertainty. The planned sequence was to begin with an afternoon meeting of Israel's Security Cabinet with defense chiefs, including leaders of the Mossad and ISA, followed by a full government vote on the deal - already expected to be contentious due to opposition from several ministers and threats from the Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties to leave the coalition.

The Hostages and Missing Persons Directorate has informed families of captives that Hamas inserted new demands contradicting the agreement reached with negotiators. "The details are not yet finalized and the negotiating team continues its efforts to find a solution," the Directorate stated.

If approved, the Justice Ministry plans to publish the list of prisoners slated for release, allowing time for potential Supreme Court appeals. However, this timeline now hangs in the balance as negotiators race against time to salvage the deal amid Hamas's eleventh-hour demands.

Arutz Sheva contributed to this article.