Israel launches new strikes on Gaza

The United States said Thursday it was "confident" that a fragile Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal would take effect on time, even as Israel carried out new air strikes ahead of a cabinet vote on the accord.

The truce, announced by mediators Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, would begin on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised.

However, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Hamas had "reneged on parts of the agreement... in an effort to extort last-minute concessions".

It also said Israel's cabinet, which has yet to approve the agreement, "will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement".

An Israeli official later told AFP the cabinet was scheduled to meet Friday to decide on the deal.

Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri, meanwhile, said there was "no basis" for Israel's accusations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been involved in months of mediation efforts, said he believed the ceasefire would go ahead on schedule.

"I am confident, and I fully expect that implementation will begin, as we said, on Sunday," he said.

The foreign ministry of fellow mediator Egypt said in a statement the ceasefire must "start without delay".

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israel pounded several areas of the territory after the deal was announced, killing at least 80 people and wounding hundreds.

The Israeli military said it had hit about 50 targets across Gaza since late Wednesday, targeting Palestinian militants.

Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned that Israeli strikes were risking the lives of hostages due to be freed under the deal, and could turn their "freedom... into a tragedy".

The war was triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

During the attack, the deadliest in Israeli history, Palestinian fighters also took 251 people hostage, 94 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.