TEL AVIV, January 17. /TASS/. Israel will not allow the radical Palestinian Hamas movement to retain power in the Gaza Strip after the end of hostilities there, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in a telephone conversation with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

"I updated Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on the details of the deal to release our hostages, which will be discussed in the Security Cabinet and then voted on by the Israeli government. Israel will have to pay a heavy price. I emphasized that we will not accept Hamas rule over Gaza after the war, which would endanger Israel's security and continue to also ruin the lives of the Palestinians themselves," Sa'ar wrote on his X page.

The talk between Sa'ar and Kallas took place amid discussions on a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held there.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani announced on January 15 that through mediation efforts by Doha, Cairo, and Washington, Israel and Hamas agreed on the release of hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire.

However, shortly thereafter, the Israeli authorities said that Hamas representatives had made last-minute demands unacceptable to Israel, which delayed the finalization of the deal once again. On the morning of January 17, the Jewish state's security cabinet finally began a meeting to approve the agreement. It is expected to enter into force on Sunday, January 19.