Israel delayed a Cabinet vote Thursday on the long-awaited ceasefire deal that would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip and release dozens of hostages. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 72 people in the war-ravaged territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed a last-minute dispute with Hamas for holding up the approval as rising tensions in Netanyahu's government coalition raised concerns about the implementation of the deal just a day after U.S. President Joe Biden and key mediator Qatar announced it was complete. That created a dual reality: War-weary Palestinians in Gaza, the relatives of hostages held in the enclave and world leaders all welcomed the result of months of painstaking diplomacy, even as Netanyahu postponed the Cabinet vote on the agreement that had been scheduled for Thursday until Friday, at the earliest. Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions — without specifying which parts. “Hamas is backing out of the understandings and creating a last-minute crisis that prevents a settlement,” Netanyahu's office said. In a briefing Thursday, David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesman, said Hamas’ new demands dealt with the deployment of Israeli forces in the Philadelphi corridor, the narrow strip bordering Egypt that Israeli troops seized in May. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/nation-world/israel-hamas-conflict/netanyahu-last-minute-crisis-holding-up-peace-deal/507-9a94abd5-ee1e-4fad-94b4-435975549838