Hamas names hostages to be released as a ceasefire in Gaza begins after a nearly three-hour delay Sunday.
Following a three-hour delay, Hamas announced the names of the three female hostages it intends to release later on Sunday, marking the start of the long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza. As the protracted and uncertain process to end the war got off to a rough start, Israel had vowed to fight until it got the names.
Despite the delay, some Palestinians started going back to their homes, and celebrations broke out throughout the war-torn region, highlighting the agreement’s vulnerability. Beginning at 11:15 a.m. local time, the truce is a first step toward a final resolution of the conflict and the return of nearly 100 hostages taken during the Hamas attack that sparked it on October 7, 2023.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, claimed that Hamas had previously failed to fulfill its pledge. to provide the names of the three hostages it was set to release in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners.
The names of the three hostages had not been handed over when the deadline for the truce to begin passed at 8:30 a.m. local time. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top Israeli military spokesman, said the army “continues to attack” and would until Hamas complies with the agreement.
The military later said it had struck a number of militant targets in northern and central Gaza.
An Israeli airstrike killed at least eight people in the southern city of Khan Younis after the ceasefire was delayed. Nasser Hospital confirmed the casualties from Sunday’s strike, which it said had occurred around two hours after the truce was supposed to take effect.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported another three deaths from strikes on Sunday in Gaza City.
Hamas had earlier blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical field reasons.” It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.
The party of Israel’s hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir meanwhile said its Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations from the government on Sunday in opposition to the ceasefire. The departure of the Jewish Power party weakens Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the ceasefire.
In a separate development, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier who was killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the 2014 war and had not been returned despite a public campaign by their families.
The agreement’s fragility is highlighted by the delay.
Following a year of intense mediation by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, the planned ceasefire is the first step in a protracted and precarious process to end the 15-month conflict.
The ceasefire “will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide,” Netanyahu claimed he had told the military. The previous evening, he had warned in a similar manner.
The ceasefire’s initial 42-day phase is expected to see the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees as well as the return of 33 hostages from Gaza. Many of the Palestinians who have been displaced should be allowed to return once Israeli forces retreat into a buffer zone inside Gaza.