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A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza commenced on Sunday, a bit later than planned, owing to a delay in the Palestinian militant group providing Israel with a list of hostages expected to be released that day.
The truce, set for six weeks, marks the first phase of a multi-part agreement intended to end the war in Gaza. This arrangement also clears the path for the release of hostages still held by Hamas in the enclave. Originally slated to start at 8:30 AM local time (06:30 GMT), the ceasefire was delayed by nearly three hours.
Highlighting the delicate nature of the arrangement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the ceasefire wouldn’t commence until Hamas supplied the names of the three hostages to be freed on Sunday.
Eventually, two hours after the ceasefire was supposed to begin, Hamas delivered the names of the three women set to be released. Earlier, they attributed the delay to “technical reasons in the field.”
The Israeli government confirmed receipt of the names, announcing that the ceasefire would take effect at 11:15 AM local time, with the hostages expected to be freed after 4:00 PM.
As the initial ceasefire deadline slipped by, celebrating broke out across Gaza, where many displaced residents were eager to return home. However, Israel’s military spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that Israeli forces would continue operations until the names were provided by Hamas.
Shortly thereafter, Israeli military operations targeted areas in northern and central Gaza. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported shelling and explosions across various locations in the enclave, resulting in nine deaths.
The overarching multi-phase agreement brings hope for a pause—and potentially an end—to what has become the bloodiest conflict in the history between Israelis and Palestinians, leaving Gaza in ruins, straining Israeli society, and pushing the Middle East to the brink of widespread conflict.
Hostilities erupted following Hamas’ sudden attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. During this attack, militants killed 1,200 people and took an additional 250 hostage, marking the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, as reported by Israeli officials.
Israel retaliated with a severe offensive against Gaza, resulting in the death of more than 46,000 people according to Palestinian authorities, and displaced most of the coastal enclave’s 2.3 million residents, deepening an already dire humanitarian crisis.
After more than six months of unsuccessful attempts to broker peace, negotiators announced last week that Israel and Hamas agreed to a three-part deal, initially proposed by US President Joe Biden back in May.
Phase one includes a six-week ceasefire during which Hamas will release 33 of the 98 hostages, incorporating children, women, the sick, and elderly, in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
This initial phase allows displaced Palestinians to return to their homes, especially in northern Gaza. It also includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces and a significant influx of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
By the 16th day of this phase, Israel and Hamas are set to negotiate details of phase two, when the rest of the living hostages will be released for hundreds more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, and a permanent end to the conflict.
The final phase involves returning the remains of deceased hostages and commencing Gaza’s reconstruction, overseen by Egypt, Qatar, and the UN.
Nevertheless, there are concerns regarding the full implementation of the agreement, with Netanyahu facing mounting pressure from far-right coalition members to resume the conflict after the first stage concludes.
On Sunday, in protest against the agreement, far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir withdrew his Jewish Power party from the government, slicing Netanyahu’s parliamentary majority to two seats in the 120-seat Knesset.
Bezalel Smotrich, allied with Ben-Gvir and serving as finance minister, has also threatened to withdraw his Religious Zionism party if the conflict does not continue post the first phase, which would further diminish Netanyahu’s parliamentary majority.
In a statement released on Saturday evening, Netanyahu mentioned support from outgoing US President Joe Biden and his successor Donald Trump for Israel’s right to resume hostilities if details for the second phase falter.
“If warfare resumes, we will engage in innovative tactics with immense power,” Netanyahu declared.
