Israel delays ceasefire

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said the ceasefire deal with Hamas, which should take effect today, would be delayed should Hamas fail to release the names of captives.

He ordered the Israeli military not to begin the ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas issued the names of the captives to be released.

Mr Netanyahu’s office disclosed this in a statement on Sunday Morning.

“The prime minister instructed the IDF that the ceasefire, which is supposed to go into effect at 16:30 GMT, will not begin until Israel has the list of released abductees that Hamas has pledged to provide,” his office said, according to CNN.

Israel and Hamas had reached a cease-fire agreement on Wednesday after months of negotiations.

The agreement brings to a halt the conflict between the duo, which has lasted 15 months after Hamas launched a surprise attack on the southern part of Israel, leading to the deaths of about 1,200 persons.

According to the ceasefire agreement, names should be provided at least 24 hours before a planned exchange.

However, Hamas has said it is committed to the agreement, and the delay is due to “technical field reasons.”

In the initial stage of the deal, thirty-three Israeli hostages are set to be released in return for the freedom of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

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This first phase will also see the release of three Israeli women held as civilian hostages.

However, despite the ceasefire agreement, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have continued.

According to Gaza’s Civil Defense, this has led to at least 122 deaths and 270 injuries since the announcement of the deal on Wednesday.

Israel has killed over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack.