Deir Al-Balah: Hamas has named the three hostages it plans to release on Sunday, over two hours after the ceasefire in Gaza was supposed to have begun. The delay in providing the names had prompted Israel to continue military operations until it received the list.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Hamas for not meeting its commitment to provide the names on time. “The ceasefire will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide,” Netanyahu stated earlier.

Hamas’ armed wing posted the names of the three female hostages on social media, but there was no immediate response from Israel following the announcement. Earlier, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israel’s top military spokesman, said the army was continuing operations in Gaza until Hamas fulfilled its obligations under the agreement.

Fragility of the ceasefire agreement

The ceasefire, brokered by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, marks the first step in a delicate process aimed at de-escalating the conflict. Celebrations erupted across Gaza as some Palestinians began returning to their homes despite the delay in the truce’s implementation.

Hamas attributed the delay in handing over the names to “technical field reasons” but reaffirmed its commitment to the agreement. An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, indicated that mediators had assured the list would be delivered and the deal would proceed, though the timing remained uncertain.

Ceasefire’s initial phase

The 42-day ceasefire is expected to result in the release of 33 hostages from Gaza and the return of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces are to pull back into a buffer zone, enabling displaced Palestinians to return home and facilitating an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory.

As part of a separate development, Israel announced the recovery of the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier killed during the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation. The ceasefire is anticipated to be a longer and more significant pause in hostilities compared to previous agreements, with negotiations on its next phase set to begin in two weeks. 

(Agency inputs)