A diplomatic source shared on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is determined to finalize every aspect of the hostage agreement before presenting it to the Security Cabinet and the Cabinet for a vote.

“Netanyahu firmly rejected Hamas’s request to alter the troop deployment along the Philadelphi Corridor and remains steadfast in his opposition to other demands from Hamas that deviate from the terms agreed upon during the negotiations. This firm stance seems to be paying off, but Prime Minister Netanyahu will not convene the Cabinet and government until everything is fully settled,” the source explained.

Earlier in the day, Aryeh Deri, the leader of the Shas Party, declared that Israel and Hamas have successfully overcome the obstacles preventing the implementation of the hostage agreement.

“A few minutes ago I received a final message that they overcame all the obstacles and the deal is underway. Now they are dealing with the final technical wording. I want to congratulate Prime Minister Netanyahu, he’s responsible for the deal,” Deri said.

Following that, a diplomatic source confirmed these remarks, adding that the Security Cabinet will likely meet on Friday, followed by the Cabinet’s approval of the agreement.

During his final press briefing, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to a query about the delay in Israel’s approval due to Hamas’s last-minute demands. Blinken indicated that this delay was “not surprising,” given the challenges in reaching a ceasefire deal over the past 15 months, and he did not foresee it hindering the deal’s implementation on Sunday.

“It’s not exactly surprising that in a process, in a negotiation, that has been this challenging and this fraught, you may get a loose end. We’re tying up that loose end as we speak. I’ve been on the phone in one way or another all morning with Brett McGurk, with our Qatari friends, and I’m very confident that this is moving forward and we’ll see the start of the implementation of the agreement on Sunday,” Blinken said.

{Matzav.com Israel}