Netanyahu Says Gaza Ceasefire Deal Between Israel and Hamas Delayed, Won’t Begin Till Hostage List is Released- wna24

Tel Aviv: As the time for the beginning of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas approaches, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the ceasefire deal will not go on if Hamas does not release the list of hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Sunday that the ceasefire in Gaza will not begin until Israel has received a list of the hostages set to be released from Hamas. He reiterated the warning in a statement barely an hour before the ceasefire was set to begin at 8:30 am local time.

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. The statement issued by the Office of Israeli Prime Minister reads, “The Prime Minister instructed the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) that the ceasefire, which is supposed to take effect at 8:30, will not begin until Israel has received the list of released hostages, which Hamas has committed to providing.” He had issued a similar warning the night before.

Israel meanwhile 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 hours before the ceasefire was set to begin. 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.

Here are the basics of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal that mediators say has been reached. Any deal still needs the approval of Israel’s Cabinet. There are three phases.

Phase One starts Sunday, according to mediator Qatar. It should include a six-week halt to fighting and the opening of negotiations on ending the war. Thirty-three of the nearly 100 hostages should be released over the period, although it’s not clear if all are alive. They include women, older adults and wounded people.

Mediator the United States says this first phase also includes a withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas of Gaza. That will allow many displaced Palestinians to return to their communities. Humanitarian assistance would surge, with hundreds of trucks entering Gaza each day. Final details still being worked out include the list of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to be freed.

Phase Two is harder. Negotiations for this phase are to begin on Day 16 of the ceasefire. The phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers. Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. But Israel has said it will not agree to a complete withdrawal until Hamas’ military and political capabilities are eliminated. And Hamas says it will not hand over the last hostages until Israel removes all troops.

Phase Three calls for the return of the bodies of remaining hostages and the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which is largely devastated and faces decades of rebuilding.