Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held up the cabinet vote on the ceasefire deal that prompted premature celebrations in Gaza and was expected to take effect on Sunday, January 19. The Israeli military has stepped up attacks on the Gaza Strip since the announcement, killing at least 81 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, to the enclave’s Health Ministry. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has accomplished its goal of destroying Hamas, but later says Hamas has now recruited almost as many fighters as it has lost.
