A long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas officially began after a last-minute delay of nearly three hours. Fighting continued beyond the originally scheduled deadline of 8:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. Eastern) as the Israeli military said Hamas had not provided the names of the first three hostages to be released. , in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later confirmed that a list of names had been provided and that the ceasefire would take effect from 11:15 a.m. local time (4:15 a.m. Eastern). Today, families in Israel await the release of hostages held by Hamas for more than 15 months.
Trading is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Eastern on Sunday at 4 p.m. local time.
Netanyahu’s office did not confirm which names were on the list, but the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the hostages’ families, confirmed that Romi Gonen, 24, Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and 28 years. Old Emily Damari is expected to be released later Sunday.
“We await their safe return to Israel to reunite with their families after 471 days of captivity in Hamas,” the forum said in a statement.
In Gaza, fighter jets and drones reportedly disappeared from the skies as the deal took effect, and aid trucks began entering Gaza through the Karem Shalom crossing.
CBS News
The first phase of the ceasefire calls for Hamas to release 33 hostages over a six-week period. They include women, children and hostages over the age of 50, according to a draft viewed by CBS News.
The plan calls for three female hostages to be returned alive on the first day. Four hostages will be released on the seventh day and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.
The break – the second in the 15-month war – was achieved through joint pressure from President-elect Donald Trump and the outgoing President Biden administration.
On Wednesday, Mr. Biden and the Prime Minister of Qatar separately announced the agreement after a week of intense negotiations mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt.
In a rare encounter during the Jewish Sabbath, the entire Israeli Cabinet voted in favor of the deal.
The approval sparked a flurry of activity and a new wave of emotions as relatives wondered whether the hostages would be returned alive or dead.
How will the release of the hostages take place?
According to the negotiated agreement, the ceasefire will take place in three phases.
The first phase of the ceasefire will last 42 days, and negotiations on the much more difficult second phase are expected to begin in just over two weeks.
After the six weeks of the first phase, the Israeli security cabinet will decide how to proceed.
In total, Hamas would release 33 hostages during the first phase. Hamas would begin releasing hostages on day one, initially returning three to Israel, according to the plan seen by CBS News. On the seventh day, Hamas would release four hostages. Thereafter, Hamas would release three hostages every seven days, starting with the living and then returning the bodies of those who died.
A senior IDF official said Saturday that the hostages would first be handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross, then they would be taken to special IDF reception points for initial health checks before being transferred to hospitals in Israel to reunite with their families.
In each exchange, Palestinian prisoners will be released by Israel once the hostages arrive safely.
Mr. Biden said Wednesday that Americans would be among the hostages released in the first phase of the deal, but he did not specify names or how soon they would be freed.
In the first phase, Israel will release at least 1,700 Palestinian prisoners, including 1,167 Gazans who were not involved in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war. All women and children under the age of 19 from Gaza detained by Israel will be released during this phase.
The rest of the hostages in Gaza, including male Israeli soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining prisoners without a lasting ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Israel.
When does the fighting stop
During the first phase of the ceasefire, Israeli troops are to withdraw to a buffer zone approximately 800 meters wide inside Gaza, along its borders with Israel.
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The Israeli military later said Palestinians would not be able to cross the Netzarim corridor that runs through central Gaza for the first seven days of the ceasefire, and it warned Palestinians not to approach the Israeli forces.
Despite the reservations and uncertainty, the expectation was great.
“The first thing I will do is go check my house,” Mohamed Mahdi, a father of two who was displaced from Gaza’s Zaytoun neighborhood, told the Associated Press. He also looks forward to seeing his family in southern Gaza, but he “remains concerned that one of us could be martyred before we can meet.”
The attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023 killed around 1,200 people in Israel and left some 250 captive. Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
Israel responded with an offensive that killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up more half of the deaths.