long-awaited Ceasefire and hostage release agreement A deal between Hamas and Israel that was due to take effect Sunday morning in the Middle East region has been postponed, with the Israeli military accusing Hamas of not providing the names of the first hostages to be released. Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari issued a statement at 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. ET), the scheduled start time, stating that Hamas will abide by the agreement because the names of the hostages have not yet been transferred. He said he had not.
“According to the Prime Minister (Benyamin Netanyahu), the ceasefire will not come into force unless Hamas fulfills its commitments to the agreement,” Hagari said. “Any violation of the agreement will have full security implications. ‘ he warned. ”
He said Israeli forces “continue to carry out attacks in the Gaza Strip” until Hamas complies with the agreement.
Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical reasons.” The country said in a statement that it was still adhering to the ceasefire agreement announced last week, but there was no indication how long implementation of the deal could be delayed.
Tsafril Abayov/AP
A CBS News team inside the Gaza Strip confirmed that IDF attacks are underway in both the northern and central Palestinian territories. Initial reports said at least three people were killed in gunfire in the north, and there were also reports that IDF forces opened fire on people trying to return to their homes in the devastated southern city of Rafah.
Qatari Foreign Minister Majid al-Ansari posted on X on Saturday that a ceasefire would begin in Gaza at 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday. He advised the public to exercise caution when the agreement comes into force and wait for instructions from the authorities.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later warned that the ceasefire could not proceed unless Israel received the names of the hostages to be released as agreed.
“Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. The responsibility lies with Hamas,” he said in a statement.
His statement came almost three hours after Israel expected to receive the names that Hamas had planned to provide to mediator Qatar. There was no immediate reaction from Hamas or Qatar.
The prime minister also told the nation about 12 hours before the ceasefire began that Israel was treating the ceasefire with Gaza as temporary and that it retained the right to continue fighting if necessary. He said he had spoken with him on Wednesday and claimed he had the support of President-elect Donald Trump.
early Saturday morning local time, Israeli cabinet approved ceasefire agreement Dozens of hostages have been freed in Gaza, marking a pause in the 15-month war with Hamas. This agreement brings the two countries one step closer to terminating relations. The deadliest and most destructive battle in history.
“I hope in God’s name that today is the last day of the war,” a displaced man from southern Gaza told CBS News.
Mechanisms of ceasefire and hostage trading
According to a translated draft of the agreement seen by CBS News, President Biden described the agreement as having three phases, each lasting 42 days.
Hamas began releasing hostages on the first day and initially planned to return three to Israel, according to a draft document seen by CBS News. On the seventh day, Hamas would release four hostages. Since then, Hamas has released three hostages taken from Israel every seven days, starting with the living and returning the bodies of the dead.
A total of 33 women and children, as well as hostages over 50, will be released in the first phase, according to a draft document seen by CBS News.
Maya Areruzzo/AP
Biden said Wednesday that the hostages released at this stage would include American citizens, but he did not name them or say when they would be released.
The remaining hostages, including male soldiers, are expected to be released in the second phase, which will be negotiated in the first phase. Hamas said it would not release the remaining prisoners unless there is a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal.
Eli David, the brother of Eivatar David, who has been held hostage by Hamas since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, told CBS News’ Remy Inocencio that he has mixed feelings as a ceasefire approaches. Eyvatar will be released in the second phase.
Eli David had a message for Hamas: “If you have a heart, if you can empathize with them, if you know my brother, just send a message.” “Please let him know that we are fighting for him, that we love him, and that we very much hope he comes home.”
According to the plan, approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners would be released in the first phase in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages, both alive and dead. 1,167 of the prisoners were Gaza residents held by Israel and were not involved in the October 7, 2023 attack. All women and children under the age of 19 in the Gaza Strip held by Israel will be released at this stage.
According to a ceasefire plan approved by the Cabinet and signed by Israel’s National Security Adviser, the fighting will begin at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday. During each exchange, prisoners are released by Israel after the hostages arrive safely.
Missile attacks continue even while aid is on the way
Despite the ceasefire news, sirens rang across central Israel on Saturday as the military announced it had intercepted a projectile fired from Yemen.
The Iran-backed Houthis have stepped up missile attacks in recent weeks. The group says the attack is part of a campaign aimed at putting pressure on Israel and the West over the Gaza war.
Israeli military attacks on Gaza also continued. The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that at least 23 people had died the previous day.
In the first phase, Israeli forces will withdraw to a buffer zone about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) wide along the border with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Daoud Abo Arkas/Anadolu, via Getty Images
This will allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homelands, including Gaza City and northern Gaza. Most of Gaza’s population has been forced into large, squalid tent camps, with many Palestinians desperately trying to return to their homes, despite the destruction and heavy damage caused by Israeli operations. It has become.
Even in areas that have been extensively destroyed, the number of infected people should rise rapidly. humanitarian aid. On Friday, trucks loaded with aid lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border entering Gaza.
Two Egyptian government ministers arrived in northern Sinai on Saturday to supervise preparations for the delivery of aid and receive injured patients, the Health Ministry said.
Hamas started the war on October 7, 2023a cross-border attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and captured about 250. Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
Israel responded with devastating attacks that left more than 46,000 Palestinians dead, local health officials said. Officials do not distinguish between civilians and militants, but say more than half of the dead are women and children.
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