A ceasefire in Gaza due to take effect this morning will not happen if Hamas fails to issue the list of the hostages up for release, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said.
A long-sought ceasefire for Gaza, where Israel has been waging a powerful military campaign for the past 15 months, was due to start at 8:30am local time today.
But barely an hour before the ceasefire was set to begin, Mr Netanyahu reiterated a warning first issued yesterday that the deal wouldn’t go ahead without a list of three female hostages due to be released on Sunday.
Hamas is expected to release the hostages later in exchange for scores of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, the first step in a long process aimed at winding down the 15-month war.
Follow all the latest on the Gaza ceasefire
Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical field reasons.” It said in a statement it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.
“The prime minister instructed the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) that the ceasefire, which is supposed to go into effect
at 8.30am, will not begin until Israel has the list of released abductees that Hamas has pledged to provide,” Mr Netanyahu’s office said.
The agreement was agreed by Israel’s cabinet on Friday night after a breakthrough in negotiations mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt was announced on Wednesday.
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What we know about ceasefire deal
In its first stage, the deal would see 33 of the 98 hostages freed over the course of six weeks. About half of the 98 are believed to be alive.
The remainder are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first.
Between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be released in exchange, depending on the number of hostages freed.
Read more:
What does Gaza ceasefire mean for Palestinian prisoners?
What do Israelis think of the Gaza ceasefire deal?
Israeli forces had started withdrawing from areas in Gaza’s Rafah to the Philadelphi corridor along the border between Egypt and Gaza, pro-Hamas media reported early today.
Israel’s military warned Gaza residents not to approach its troops or move around the Palestinian territory ahead of the
ceasefire deadline, adding when movement is allowed “a statement and instructions will be issued on safe transit methods”.
