Israel "Hamas withdraws part of agreement..."Postponement of Cabinet Calling"

Israel and Palestinian militant Hamas are in last-minute trouble over a cease-fire agreement in Gaza.

Israel's prime minister's office said in a statement on the 16th local time that "Hamas is blocking the agreement by breaking part of the agreement and creating a last-minute crisis to win concessions at the last minute."

The Israeli cabinet then added that it would not convene until mediators informed Israel that Hamas had accepted all elements of the agreement.

The Israeli cabinet was originally scheduled to hold a meeting at 11 a.m. local time on the 16th to vote on whether to approve the ceasefire.

In a related development, senior Hamas official Izat Elesic countered that Hamas fully accepts the cease-fire agreement announced a day earlier by the mediators, Reuters said.

Mediator Qatar earlier said Israel and Hamas had agreed to a three-stage ceasefire in which both sides would stop fighting for 42 days and discuss a permanent ceasefire, exchanging hostages and Palestinian prisoners.