A view of a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Hamas militant group has named the three hostages it plans to release on Sunday, potentially clearing the way for the start of a Gaza ceasefire after a delay.
Israel had earlier said it would continue fighting in Gaza until the names were handed over in accordance with the agreement. The start of the ceasefire has been delayed by more than two hours.
There was no immediate comment from Israel after Hamas’ armed wing published the names on social media.
The deadline for the start of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip passed as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had not lived up to its commitment to provide the names of the three hostages it was set to release later on Sunday in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners.
Celebrations erupted across the war-ravaged territory, and some Palestinians began returning to their homes, even as the delay underscored the fragility of the agreement. The deal sets in motion a long and uncertain process aimed at ultimately ending the war and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered it.
The names of the three hostages had not been handed over when the deadline for the truce to begin passed at 8:30 a.m. local time, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top Israeli military spokesman, said. He said the army “continues to attack, even now, inside the Gaza arena," and would until Hamas complies with the agreement.
The military later said it had struck a number of militant targets in northern and central Gaza. Gaza's Health Ministry said at least three people were killed early Sunday in Gaza City, in the north of the territory.
Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical field reasons.” It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.
An Israeli official said mediators have provided assurances that the list will be delivered and the deal is still expected to go forward, though the timing remains in question. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing efforts to resolve the matter.
The party of Israel’s hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir meanwhile said its Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations from the government on Sunday in opposition to the ceasefire. The departure of the Jewish Power party weakens Netanyahu’s coalition but will not affect the ceasefire.
In a separate development, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier who was killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the 2014 war and had not been returned despite a public campaign by their families.