US says Gaza truce to start on time despite last minute 'loose end'

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip should start on Sunday as planned, despite the need for negotiators to tie up a "loose end" at the last minute, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

Israel delayed holding a cabinet meeting to ratify the ceasefire with Hamas, blaming the militant group for the hold-up, even as Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza with airstrikes which Palestinian authorities said killed 77 people in the day since the truce was unveiled.

Hamas senior official Izzat el-Reshiq said the group remained committed to the ceasefire deal, scheduled to take effect from Sunday to halt 15-months of bloodshed.

"It's not exactly surprising that in a process and negotiation that has been this challenging and this fraught, you may get a loose end," Blinken told a news conference in Washington. "We're tying up that loose end as we speak."

A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the last remaining dispute was over the identities of some prisoners Hamas wanted released.

President Joe Biden's envoy Brett McGurk and President-elect Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff were both in Doha with Egyptian and Qatari mediators working to resolve the issue, which should be cleared up soon, the official said.

Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told reporters Israeli negotiators were in Doha to reach a solution.

Israel's acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the security cabinet and government. A vote had been slated for Thursday, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the meeting, accusing Hamas of making last-minute demands.

"The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement," Netanyahu's office said.

Reuters