Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a security situation assessment over the delay in receiving the list of hostages expected to be released on Sunday morning as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Netanyahu told the Israeli military that the ceasefire would not take effect until Israel has the list of hostages expected to be released.
The agreement should enter into force on Sunday at 8:30 am local timeand Hamas has said it would provide the 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 announced last week.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN THE ISRAEL-HAMAS STRUCT GOES INTO EFFECT ON SUNDAY
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the eradication of Hamas. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File Photo)
Israel’s Cabinet early Saturday morning approved the deal for a ceasefire in Gaza that would include the release of dozens of hostages and pause the war with Hamas that began after the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on the Jewish state.
The deal would allow 33 hostages to be released over the next six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians jailed by Israel. The remaining hostages will be released in a second phase to be negotiated during the first phase.
Hamas agreed to release three female 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, January 17, 2025. The Hebrew reads: “look them in the eyes.” (AP)
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
This is the second ceasefire reached during the war.
Gaza is expected to receive a wave of humanitarian aid when the ceasefire takes effect.
A wall covered with photos of hostages held in the Gaza Strip after the deadly October 7 Hamas attack calling for the release of the hostages on January 17, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The 15-month one war in Gaza began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250 others, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly a hundred hostages are still trapped in Gaza.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to local health officials from the Hamas-led government, who do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists.
