JTA — Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli told a gathering of American Jewish leaders on Sunday that he will vote against future stages of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.

Israel is currently negotiating the second stage of the ceasefire, in which all remaining living Israeli hostages are meant to be released while Israel fully withdraws from Gaza.

Negotiators are due to begin discussions of how to implement the second stage, which would begin in early March. Polls show most Israelis want the deal to advance to the second stage.

But Chikli told a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations that he opposes extending the deal because Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for the hostages.

Chikli was one of two ministers in Netanyahu’s Likud party to vote against the first phase of the deal, which began last month and has so far seen 24 hostages released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners.

“I will oppose the second stage of the deal in the government, just like I did the first,” he said, according to reports. “I cannot vote in favor of the next victims — whether in Gush Etzion, Megiddo, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem,........

© The Times of Israel