Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Gaza ceasefire will not go ahead until Hamas provides the names of the first hostages it plans to release.
The Israeli leader warned last night that the first phase of the deal to stop fighting in Gaza was “a temporary ceasefire”, and that Israel reserved the right to resume the war, with US backing, if it was to break down.
In a statement, Hamas stated that the delay is due to “technical field reasons.”
According to the ceasefire agreement, names should be provided at least 24 hours before a planned exchange, which is supposed to happen sometime after 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) today.
According to Reuters, Hagari said in a brief statement that the Gaza truce will not begin unless Hamas meets its “obligations.”.
As a reminder, the ceasefire agreement requires the names of hostages to be submitted at least 24 hours before the planned exchange.
Hamas claims the reason for the delay is a “technical” issue.
Hagari provided a brief update, but we will continue to keep you updated on the situation in our next updates.
With less than half an hour to go until the truce is set to begin, Israel is still waiting for the identities of the three captives anticipated to be freed today, according to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the ceasefire deal, the names should be delivered at least 24 hours before the planned exchange, which is scheduled to take place somewhere after 16:00 local time today.
According to the statement, Netanyahu asked the Israeli military not to continue ceasefire preparations until the list of names was received.
The location of the hostage exchange remained unknown as at the time of filing this report, with the Israeli military preparing three separate prospective locations near the border with southern, central, and northern Gaza.
