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Israel-Hamas ceasefire delayed as Netanyahu demands list of hostages, deadline missed
The dispute had not been resolved when the deadline for the truce to begin passed at 8:30 am local time.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been delayed as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would not begin until Hamas provides the names of the three hostages it was set to release later on Sunday in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners.
The dispute had not been resolved when the deadline for the truce to begin passed at 8:30 am local time.
Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the army “continues to attack, even now, inside the Gaza arena," and would until Hamas complies with the agreement, the Associated Press reported.
According to Netanyahu, the military has been instructed that the ceasefire “will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide.” This was a repeat of a similar warning he had given the night before.
Hamas 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 planned ceasefire, agreed after a year of intensive mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, is the first step in a long and fragile process aimed at winding down the 15-month war.
Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the rest of the nearly 100 hostages in Gaza will be freed.
The ceasefire approval and the toll of the war
Israel's Cabinet approved the ceasefire early on 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 both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to achieve a deal before the US presidential inauguration on Monday.
The toll of the war has been immense, and new details on its scope will now emerge.
Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed over 1,200. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died since the start of the war almost a year and a half ago.
Some 90 per cent of Gaza's population has been displaced due to the war. According to the United Nations, the health system, road network and other vital infrastructure have been badly damaged.
Rebuilding of the strip is planned in the final phase of the ceasefire agreement and will take several years at least, according to experts on the matter. Major questions about Gaza's future, political and otherwise, remain unresolved.
(With AP inputs)
