U.S. says Gaza ceasefire to take effect Sunday despite last minute ‘loose end’ [Video]

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip should start on Sunday as planned, despite the need for negotiators to tie up a “loose end” at the last minute, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

Israel delayed holding a cabinet meeting to ratify the ceasefire with Hamas, blaming the militant group for the hold-up, even as Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza with airstrikes which Palestinian authorities said killed 77 people in the day since the truce was unveiled.

“Hamas is backing out of the understandings and creating a last-minute crisis that prevents a settlement,” Netanyahu’s office said. 

Izzat al-Rashq, a senior Hamas official, said the militant group “is committed to the ceasefire agreement,” scheduled to take effect from Sunday to halt 15 months of bloodshed.

“It’s not exactly surprising that in a process and negotiation that has been this challenging and this fraught, you may get a loose end,” Blinken …