30 a.m. local time (7:30 a.m. Central European Time), has been delayed. Israeli Army Spokesman Daniel Hagari made the announcement, citing that the Hamas has yet to provide a list of the names of the first three hostages, as agreed upon in the accord, which are to be released by the end of the day. As long as the terrorist organization fails to meet this condition, the Israeli military will continue its operations in the Gaza Strip, Hagari stated.
The deal, reached after a series of intense battles, foresees the initial release of 33 hostages, who were kidnapped from Israel on October 7, 2023, during the attacks. In return, Israel is expected to release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The IDF troops are also set to withdraw from the Gaza Strip in a phased manner. The negotiations on the release of the remaining hostages will take place at a later stage, with the number of still-living captives remaining unclear. The ceasefire is initially set to last for 42 days.