The sides have agreed to a prisoner exchange amid a humanitarian truce in the deadly 15-month conflict
© Amir Levy / Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a delay in the planned Gaza ceasefire until Hamas provides the names of hostages set for release. The truce is scheduled to begin at 8:30am local time on Sunday.
Hamas is expected to release a group of Israeli hostages – including women, children, and elderly individuals – as part of the ceasefire agreement. In exchange, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from its jails.
Hamas was supposed to provide Israel with the names of the first three hostages to be released on Saturday afternoon, but the names have not yet been delivered. Hamas says the delay is due to “technical reasons.”
Israel and Hamas reached a deal earlier this week to halt the 15-month conflict, which has resulted in numerous casualties and extensive destruction in Gaza. The agreement, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, will be implemented in three phases, with the initial stage lasting six weeks.
The Israeli government approved the deal despite opposition from hardliners, with Netanyahu warning that Israel would resume the conflict if the ceasefire proves ineffective.
“If we must return to fighting, we will do that in new, forceful ways,” Netanyahu said, adding that both outgoing US President Joe Biden and incoming President Donald Trump “have given full backing to Israel’s right to return to the fighting.”
The war was triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages taken. In retaliation, Israeli forces have conducted extensive operations in Gaza, leading to the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians and the forced displacement of nearly 2 million.
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19 January 2025
08:08 GMT
Hamas has delivered the list of hostages to Israeli authorities, Palestinian news outlet Al-Quds has reported, citing a senior source in the group.
- 08:03 GMT
The IDF says it struck a number of “terror targets” in northern and central Gaza on Sunday morning and is “continuing to operate” in the region amid the ceasefire delay.
- 08:03 GMT
At least eight Gazans have been killed in IDF strikes since the ceasefire was to take effect on Sunday morning, with many more wounded, media outlets report, citing a Hamas-run civil defense agency.
وصول شهيـــد وعدد كبير من الإصابات إلى مستشفى الأوروبي بخانيونس بعد تعرضهم لإطلاق نار في خزاعة شرقي المدينة. pic.twitter.com/14O6OU9kk9
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) January 19, 2025
- 07:43 GMT
Footage posted online shows Gazans celebrating the ceasefire, despite uncertainty over its entry into force.
هتافات في خانيونس خلال الاحتفالات بعد دخول وقف إطلاق النار حيز التنفيذ. pic.twitter.com/DgO2iFtASu
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) January 19, 2025
- 07:42 GMT
IDF artillery shelling has targeted the Al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, Palestinian TV channel Al-Quds has said in a post on X. Another attack in the Al-Shaaf neighborhood east of Gaza City has reportedly resulted in three deaths.
- 07:27 GMT
Israel did not give Hamas enough time to prepare the list of captives, Tamer Qarmout, associate professor of public policy at the Doha Institute, has told Al Jazeera.
He noted that the group’s negotiation team in Qatar had demanded that Israel halt military operations for the last two days to allow Hamas to gather information on the whereabouts of the captives, but “Israel did not do this.”
- 07:20 GMT
Hamas has blamed “technical and field reasons” for the delay in giving Israel the list of hostages slated for release in a statement early on Saturday, media reports claim. The group reportedly said it remains committed to the terms of the truce.
- 07:00 GMT
Unconfirmed footage posted on X purports to show Israeli forces withdrawing from areas in Rafah, Gaza to the Philadelphi Corridor along the border between Egypt and Gaza.
انسحاب قوة عسكرية ضخمة من لواء غفعاتي أثناء الليل من شمال قطاع غزة ، تبقى ساعتان ونصف على بدء سريان اتفاق وقف إطلاق النار في قطاع غزة pic.twitter.com/fv4m49wFsA
— Tamer | تامر (@tamerqdh) January 19, 2025
- 07:00 GMT
The IDF will continue strikes in Gaza until Israel receives the list of hostages slated for release by Hamas, according to spokesman Daniel Hagari.
“As of this morning, Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations, and contrary to the agreement has not given Israel the names of the hostages,” he said.
“Per the directive of the prime minister, the ceasefire will not take effect as long as Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations. The [Israeli military] is continuing to strike now in Gaza, as long as Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations to the deal.”
- 06:55 GMT
Displaced people have started returning to their homes in northern Gaza City amid the withdrawal of IDF forces, according to videos posted online.
بدأ النازحون العودة إلى منازلهم المدمرة في شمال مدينة غزة بعد انسحاب قوات الجيش الإسرائيلي.حتى هذه اللحظة، لم يدخل موعد تنفيذ وقف إطلاق النار حيز التنفيذ . الكثيرون لم يستطيعوا الصبر أو الانتظار الساعات القليلة المتبقية.حماكم الله، وعودتكم تُسعد قلوبنا. pic.twitter.com/pDkIsuFneY
— Tamer | تامر (@tamerqdh) January 19, 2025
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