Israel Confirms Commencement Of Truce With Hamas After Delay
Following a last-minute delay caused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s orders, Israel announced on Sunday that a truce with Hamas had begun in Gaza at 9:15 GMT, almost three hours later than originally scheduled.
During the delay, Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed eight people.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office, issued less than an hour before the truce had been set to start at 8: 30 am (0630 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.
The names of three Israeli women who were later identified as “technical reasons,” as well as the “complexities of the field situation and the continued bombing,” according to Hamas, who eventually published them at around 10:30 am on Sunday.
Israel confirmed that it had received the list and was “checking the details,” before confirming shortly that the truce would begin at 11:15 am local time.
READ ALSO:  , Gaza Ceasefire Won’t Start Unless Hamas Gives Hostage List, Says Netanyahu
About 30 minutes after the initial truce was announced, and again around 30 minutes later, a plume of grey smoke was visible in AFPTV live images from northeastern Gaza.
The Israeli military confirmed it was continuing “to strike within the Gaza area” following Netanyahu’s directive.
According to Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense, five people were killed in the north of the country, and 25 were hurt in Gaza City.
Some AFP images showed displaced Gazans flashing the victory sign as they were emigrating from Gaza City’s sheltering areas.
Others, however, saw the delay in the ceasefire thwart their plans to return home.
“I was on my way home with my family when we heard the sound of bombing”, said Mohammed Baraka, 36.
“We can’t reach our house, the situation is dangerous.  , I don’t know what to do. I feel frustrated and devastated”.
Three Israeli hostages were exchanged for a first group of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for their release from captivity.
During the initial 42-day truce, militants who took 33 hostages during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 will be able to retrieve them from Gaza.
In accordance with the agreement, Israeli prison cells will be freed for hundreds of Palestinians.
The truce is meant to put an end to the most deadly Israeli conflict in Israeli history, which was sparked by Hamas’s attack for more than 15 months.
It follows a deal struck by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of negotiations, and takes effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.
In a televised address on Saturday, Netanyahu called the  , 42-day first phase a “temporary ceasefire” and said Israel had US support to return to war if necessary.
 , ‘Playing with our emotions ‘
In Gaza City, shortly after the deal was initially meant to go into effect, people were already celebrating, waving Palestinian flags in the street.
However, as it became clear that some were still having hostilities, the joy faded.
“I’m dying of despair”, said Maha Abed, a 27-year-old displaced from Rafah who had been waiting since dawn for her husband to pick her up and take her home. “He called to tell me we won’t be returning today. The drones are firing at civilians”.
“Enough playing with our emotions — we’re exhausted”, she added. “I don’t want to spend another night in this tent”.
A journalist from AFP’s Deir al-Balah observed dozens of Palestinians gathering in front of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in search of details about the unfolding events, including whether or not they would be able to return home.
Early on Sunday, the Israeli army warned residents of Gaza to avoid Israeli-held territory or its forces.
For your safety, military spokesman Avichay Adraee advised you not to approach the buffer zone or IDF forces on Telegram.
“At this point, moving from the south to the north via Gaza Valley puts you in danger””
Attendees of a rally for the hostages in Tel Aviv the night before had been screened out ahead of the planned exchanges.
“I’m really stressed because I don’t know about the situation of Ofer, my cousin”, said Ifat Kaldron, whose cousin is among the hostages.
“Whenever the last hostage crosses the border, I’m just going to be happy,” the hostage said.
 , Long ordeal
Before the released hostages return to their families after their lengthy ordeal, Israel has set up reception centers to offer medical care and counseling.
Israel’s justice ministry had previously said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be freed during the deal’s first phase, starting from 4: 00 pm (1400 GMT) on Sunday.
More than 1, 890 Palestinian prisoners would be freed in the initial phase, according to Egypt on Saturday.
At the Gaza border, hundreds of trucks were waiting to enter the country with the all-clear to deliver desperately needed aid.
After the ceasefire is in effect, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced that 600 trucks, 50 of which would be carrying fuel, would enter Gaza each day.
There has only ever been a one-week truce in the war that ended in November of 2023.
In exchange for Palestinian prisoners, hostages held by militants were also freed during that ceasefire.
 , ‘We want it to end ‘
Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1, 210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli , official figures.
Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing at least 46, 899 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
On the day of Trump’s second-term as president of the United States, the truce was set to end.
After months of negotiations with the incoming administration of President Joe Biden, Trump claimed credit for the ceasefire agreement and claimed to have told Netanyahu that the conflict “has to end.” He did this on Saturday in a statement to US network NBC.
“We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done”, he said.
In a unique pairing, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and former US president Brett McGurk served as the region’s point person, according to US officials.
The Qatari prime minister announced that Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return to their “residences” under the agreement.
A “permanent end to the war” would be achieved if the second phase of the agreement, according to Biden.
Source: Channels TV
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