Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of backing out of a cease-fire deal to release hostages and bring a pause to more than a year of fighting in the Gaza Strip. 

Netanyahu’s office said Thursday his Cabinet won’t meet to approve the Gaza cease-fire deal until Hamas backs down from what it called a “last minute crisis.”

Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas, without elaborating, of trying to go back on part of the agreement in an attempt “to extort last minute concessions.” 

The Israeli Cabinet was set to ratify the deal Thursday.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal. Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 48 people were killed in Israeli strikes between midday Wednesday and Thursday morning. Around half of the dead were women and children, Zaher al-Wahedi, head of the ministry’s registration department, told The Associated Press. He said the toll could rise as hospitals update their records.

FILE: Smoke billows after Israeli army launched an airstrike on Al Mughraqa area in Gaza Strip, on April 14, 2024. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. are expected to meet in Cairo on Thursday for talks on implementing the agreement. They have spent the past year holding indirect talks with Israel and Hamas that finally resulted in a deal after repeated setbacks.

President-elect Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy joined the talks in the final weeks, and both the outgoing administration and Trump’s team are taking credit for the breakthrough.

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.

The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced some 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, according to the United Nations.

Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and The Associated Press contributed to this report.