Monday, January 20, 2025 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday morning, January 19 told the Israeli Defense Forces that the cease-fire agreement with Hamas will not begin on Sunday as agreed unless Hamas puts out the names of Israeli hostages to be released.
Netanyahu said as Hamas has not yet given the names of the
hostages, the IDF will continue to operate, as it is still striking inside
Gaza.
The agreement was set to go into effect Sunday at 8:30 a.m.
local time, and Hamas had said it would provide the list of hostages. But the
cease-fire remains on hold as Israel waits for the list of hostages to be
freed.
Hamas said the delay in providing the names was due to
"technical field reasons" and added that it is committed to the
cease-fire deal announced last week.
Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal early Saturday morning for
a cease-fire 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 set free over the next
six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The
remaining hostages are set to be released in a second phase that will be
negotiated during the first.
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.
At least eight Gazans have been killed in IDF strikes since
the cease-fire was set to begin, according to a Hamas-run agency.
"As of this morning, Hamas has not fulfilled
its obligation, and contrary to the agreement, has not provided the State of
Israel with the names of the returning female hostages up to this time. The
ceasefire will not come into effect as long as Hamas does not fulfill its
obligations," IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said.
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages
without a lasting cease-fire and a full Israeli withdrawal. This is the second
cease-fire deal achieved during the war.
Gaza is expected to receive a surge in humanitarian aid when
the cease-fire begins.
The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a
surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which roughly 1,200 people
were killed and about 250 others were abducted, prompting military retaliation
from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's
offensive, according to the Hamas-run government's local health officials, who
do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists.
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