Far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has expressed his opposition to a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian Hamas resistance group, saying he will vote against the agreement that brings an end to the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Smotrich made the remarks in an X post on Thursday shortly after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of the ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, which includes the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza, the entry of aid to the besieged territory, and the exchange of Israeli captives with Palestinian abductees.

The extremist minister, who has a history of making hawkish remarks, said he “cannot join in shortsighted celebrations or vote in favor of the deal” due to what he called “immense fear of the consequences of emptying the [Israeli] prisons.”

He further said that immediately after the return of captives, Israel should continue the war for “the real eradication of Hamas.”

The Israeli "security cabinet" is set to meet this afternoon to be briefed on the Gaza ceasefire agreement, with the full cabinet meeting afterward to vote on the deal.

An unnamed Israeli official has told CNN that the vote will only be on a prisoner exchange, and not the entire truce framework.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said that once Israel’s "security cabinet" convenes, there will be a 72-hour countdown for Hamas to release the remaining living Israeli captives held in Gaza.

The ceasefire announcement followed three days of indirect negotiations in Egypt on Trump’s 20-point plan for the Gaza Strip.