Protesters hold torches as they gather during a demonstration calling for the release of all hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Oded Balilty/AP
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Oded Balilty/AP
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The deadline for the start of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip passed after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had failed to honor its commitment to provide the names of the three hostages he was to release later. Sunday in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners.
The list had not been handed over when the deadline for the start of the truce passed at 8:30 a.m. local time, said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s top spokesman. He said the army “continues to attack, even now, inside the Gaza arena,” and will do so until Hamas complies with the deal.
Hamas blamed the delay in transmitting the names on “technical reasons.” He said in a statement that he was committed to the ceasefire agreement announced last week.
An Israeli official said mediators had given assurances that the list would be handed over and that the deal was still expected to be reached, although the timetable remained uncertain. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of ongoing efforts to resolve the case.
Meanwhile, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, during a special operation. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the 2014 war and have not been returned despite a public campaign by their families.
The delay highlights the fragility of the agreement
The planned ceasefire, agreed after a year of intensive mediation between the United States, Qatar and Egypt, is the first step in a long and fragile process aimed at ending a 15-month war .
Netanyahu said he had instructed the army that the ceasefire “would not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be released, which Hamas has pledged to provide “. He had issued a similar warning the day before.
The first phase of the 42-day ceasefire is expected to see a total of 33 hostages repatriated from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Israeli forces are expected to withdraw to a buffer zone inside Gaza, and many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home. The devastated territory is also expected to see an influx of humanitarian aid.
It is only the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than the week-long pause more than a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good.
Negotiations on the much more difficult second phase of this ceasefire are expected to begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the first six-week phase and how the rest of the hundred or so hostages in Gaza will be freed.
Palestinians celebrate despite delay
Dozens of people took to the streets of Khan Younis, a town in southern Gaza, to celebrate the ceasefire, according to an Associated Press journalist.
Four masked and armed Hamas fighters arrived in two vehicles as the celebrations took place, and people greeted them and chanted slogans in support of the militant group.
Hamas-led police began deploying in public after keeping a low profile for months due to Israeli airstrikes. Residents of Gaza City reported seeing them operating in parts of the city, and the AP reporter in Khan Younis saw small numbers of them on the streets.
Palestinian residents began returning to their homes in parts of Gaza City early Sunday, even as tank shelling continued overnight in the east, closer to the Israeli border. Families could be seen returning on foot, with their belongings loaded onto carts pulled by donkeys, residents said.
“The sound of bombings and explosions has not stopped,” said Ahmed Matter, a resident of Gaza City. He said he saw many families leaving their shelters and returning home. “People are impatient. They want this madness to stop,” he said.
Israel’s cabinet approved the ceasefire early Saturday in a rare session during the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after mediators announced the deal. The warring sides were under pressure from the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to reach a deal before the U.S. presidential inauguration on Monday.
The toll of the war was immense, and new details of its scale will now emerge.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war, left more than 1,200 people dead. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers died.
Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. The United Nations says the health system, road network and other vital infrastructure have been severely damaged. Reconstruction – if the ceasefire reaches its final stages – will take at least several years. Major questions about Gaza’s future, political and otherwise, remain unanswered.
