Gaza ceasefire begins after last-minute delay

Gaza ceasefire begins after last-minute delay

GAZA CITY
Gaza ceasefire begins after last-minute delay

A long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza began after a three-hour delay on Jan. 19 as Hamas named the three female hostages it plans to release later in the day after the group had "technical problems" in delivering the list to Israel

Israel had vowed to keep fighting until it received the names, as the long and uncertain process aimed at ending the war got off to a bumpy start.

Celebrations erupted across the war-ravaged territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes despite the delay, which underscored the fragility of the agreement.

The truce, which started at 09:15 GMT, is a first step toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered it.

A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, issued less than an hour before the truce had been set to start at 06:30 GMT, said he had "instructed the IDF [military] that the ceasefire... will not begin until Israel has received the list" of hostages to be freed.

During the delay, Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli strikes killed eight people.

Hamas attributed the delay to "technical reasons,” as well as the "complexities of the field situation and the continued bombing,” ultimately publishing the names of three Israeli women to be released.

A total of 33 hostages will be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day truce. Under the deal, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails.

The truce is intended to pave the way for an end to more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas's attack, the deadliest in Israeli history.

Israel has prepared reception centers to provide medical treatment and counselling to the freed hostages before they return to their families after their long ordeal.

Hundreds of trucks waited at the Gaza border, poised to enter from Egypt as soon as they get the all-clear to deliver desperately needed aid. Some 600 trucks a day will enter Gaza after the ceasefire takes effect, including 50 carrying fuel.

In a televised address on Jan. 18, Netanyahu called the 42-day first phase a "temporary ceasefire,” noting that the government approved the outline for the “return of our hostages — this is a war goal that we will not let up on until it is completed.”

"We reserve the right to resume the war if necessary, with American support," he added, crediting both the outgoing Joe Biden administration and incoming Donal Trump’ team with playing a role.

Israel had "changed the face of the Middle East" since the war began, Netanyahu stated.

The truce was to take effect on the eve of Trump's inauguration for a second term as president of the United States.

Trump, who claimed credit for the ceasefire deal, after months of effort by the outgoing administration of Biden, told U.S. network NBC that he had told Netanyahu that the war "has to end.”

"We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done," he said.

Meanwhile, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's party announced on Jan. 19 it was leaving the country's ruling coalition in protest at what it called the "scandalous" ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

In a statement, Jewish Power called the ceasefire deal a "capitulation to Hamas" and denounced what it called the "release of hundreds of murderers" and the "renouncing of the [Israeli military's] achievements in the war" in Gaza.

Netanyahu retains a slim majority in the Israeli parliament despite their resignation of three ministers, including Ben-Gvir.