According to reports on Tuesday evening in the Israeli media, all the cabinet ministers, including those who present a hawkish line, such as Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Security Minister Shaked, supported the decision to stop the retalitory strikes in Gaza and reach a ceasefire with the Hamas terrorist organization.
However, shortly after the report, the office of Defense Minister Liberman issued an unusual statement denying these reports.
"The briefings about Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's alleged support for stopping the attacks in Gaza are pike news," the defense ministry said.
The Security Cabinet earlier concluded a seven-hour meeting in the afternoon during which the ministers discussed the security escalation in the south of the country.
Shortly after the meeting, the Arab television network Al-Jazeera reported that an agreement had been reached between Israel and Hamas on a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. The agreement was reportedly obtained by Egyptian mediation.
Hamas confirmed the report that an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire had been reached, but made it clear that the organization would be obligated to it only as long as the "Zionist enemy" fulfilled its commitment to the cease-fire.
Israel refused to approve the report. An Israeli political source responded to reports of agreements on a cease-fire: "Hamas approached Israel with four different intermediaries and asked for a cease-fire, and Israel responded that it would determine the steps in the field and that Israel reserves its freedom of action."
According to the latest figures published by the IDF, about 460 rocket and mortar launches have been identified from the Gaza Strip since Monday afternoon.