Middle East: Ceasefire in Gaza war delayed

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza war is delayed. This was announced by Israel’s army spokesman Daniel Hagari. The background is that the Islamist Hamas has not yet submitted a list with the names of the three hostages who are to be released later today as part of the deal.

The ceasefire was supposed to have started at 7:30 a.m. CET. “Hamas is not fulfilling its obligations,” Hagari said. As long as Hamas does not fulfill the agreement, the Israeli army will continue to attack.

Hamas should actually have shared the list with the names of the hostages on Saturday. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier.

Israel and Hamas had agreed on an initial ceasefire of 42 days. During this time, 33 of the 98 Israeli hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip will be exchanged for 1,904 imprisoned Palestinians. The hostages also include Israelis who also have German citizenship. In Israel it is assumed that 34 of those abducted are presumed dead.

According to the Israeli government, the release of the first three hostages is scheduled for today at 3:00 p.m. CET. According to Israeli information, there are three civilians. At around the same time, the first 90 or so Palestinian prisoners are to be released in Israel and taken by security forces either to the occupied West Bank or to the Gaza Strip.

It initially remained uncertain whether the schedule would stick given the delayed start of the ceasefire. On the eve of the planned ceasefire, Netanyahu reiterated that if the agreement fails, Israel would resume fighting and achieve all war aims, including the destruction of Hamas.

The first phase of the agreement also provides for a rapid improvement in food supplies for the more than two million residents of the largely destroyed Gaza Strip, 90 percent of whom, according to the UN, are suffering from hunger. In addition, the Israeli army must withdraw from population centers in the Gaza Strip.