Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security assessment due to a delay in receiving a list of hostages expected to be released Sunday morning as part of a cease-fire deal with Hamas.
Netanyahu told the Israel Defense Forces that the ceasefire would not begin until Israel received a list of hostages expected to be freed.
The agreement is due to enter into force on Sunday at 8:30 am local timeand Hamas said it would provide a list of hostages.
Hamas said the delay in providing the names was due to “technical reasons” and added that it was committed to the ceasefire agreement announced last week.
WHAT TO EXPECT AS THE ISRAEL-HAMAS Ceasefire Takes Effect On Sunday
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue with the eradication of Hamas. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Bazen/File Photo)
Israeli cabinet approved a deal early Saturday morning for a ceasefire in Gaza that would include the release of dozens of hostages and a pause in the war with Hamas that began after the terrorist group’s October 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish state.
The deal would see the release of 33 hostages over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians jailed by Israel. The remaining hostages will be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first.
Hamas agreed to release three hostages on the first day of the deal, four on the seventh day and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.
A girl pauses at a mural of female Israeli soldiers held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. The Hebrew reads: “look them in the eyes.” (AP)
Hamas said it would not release the remaining hostages without a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
This is the second ceasefire reached during the war.
Gaza is expected receive a wave of humanitarian aid when the ceasefire begins.
A wall covered with photos of hostages held in the Gaza Strip after a deadly attack by Hamas on October 7 calls for the release of the hostages on January 17, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo: Amir Levy/Getty Images)
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For the duration of 15 months the war in Gaza it began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and approximately 250 others were kidnapped, prompting a military retaliation by Israeli forces. Almost 100 hostages remained imprisoned in Gaza.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to local health officials of the Hamas-run government, who do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists.