A long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza began after a three-hour delay as Hamas named the three female hostages it plans to free later on Sunday. 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 11:15 a.m. local time, 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.
An Israeli official confirmed that Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were set to be released later on Sunday. Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival, while the other two were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Damari is an Israeli-British dual citizen.
The official said the families had approved the publication of the names. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Hamas had not lived up to its commitment to provide the names of the three hostages it was set to release in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners before the original time for the ceasefire to start. The military said it would continue to attack targets in Gaza until the names were provided.
An Israeli airstrike killed at least eight people in the southern city of Khan Younis after the ceasefire was delayed. Nasser Hospital confirmed the casualties from Sunday’s strike, which it said had occurred around two hours after the truce was supposed to take effect. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported another three deaths from strikes on Sunday in Gaza City.
Hamas had earlier 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.
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. (AP)
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