Israel Ceasefire in Gaza war delayed
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza war has been delayed. This was announced by Israel's army spokesman Daniel Hagari. The background to this is that the Islamist Hamas has not yet provided a list of the names of the three hostages who are to be released in the course of the day as part of the deal.
19.01.2025, 07:56
SDA
The ceasefire should have begun at 7.30 a.m. CET. "Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations," said Hagari. As long as Hamas does not fulfill the agreement, the Israeli army will continue to attack.
Hamas should have announced the list with the names of the hostages on Saturday. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel and Hamas had agreed on an initial 42-day ceasefire. During this time, 33 of the 98 Israeli hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip are to be exchanged for 1,904 imprisoned Palestinians. The hostages include Israelis who also hold German citizenship. It is assumed in Israel that 34 of those kidnapped are presumed dead.
According to the Israeli government, the release of the first three hostages is planned for today at 15:00 CET. According to Israeli sources, these are three civilian women. Around the same time, the first 90 or so Palestinian prisoners are to be released in Israel and taken by security forces either to the occupied West Bank or the Gaza Strip.
Whether the timetable will be adhered to in view of the delayed start of the ceasefire initially remained uncertain. On the eve of the planned ceasefire, Netanyahu had reiterated that Israel would resume fighting if the agreement failed and would enforce all war aims, including the destruction of Hamas.
The first phase of the agreement also provides for a rapid improvement in the supply of food for the more than two million inhabitants of the largely destroyed Gaza Strip, 90 percent of whom are suffering from hunger according to UN figures. In addition, the Israeli army must withdraw from population centers in the Gaza Strip.
