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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has come into effect after a nearly three-hour delay from its original deadline. As reported by Reuters, on Sunday, January 19, 2025, the ceasefire was initially set to start earlier, but was delayed after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded Hamas provide the names of three Israeli prisoners who were due to be released today.
Thousands of Palestinian police officers have been deployed across Gaza to maintain security, while government ministries work to restore normal life. Displaced individuals are expected to begin returning to their homes within seven days.
Gaza authorities have urged the public to follow safety instructions to avoid danger in the affected areas.
Despite the delay, Palestinians are celebrating the implementation of the ceasefire, with many hoping that the agreement will lead to lasting peace.
Israeli troops have been seen withdrawing from the central and eastern parts of Rafah. It is unclear exactly when the troops left the area, but it comes ahead of the ceasefire that was expected to take effect at 8:30 a.m. local time. According to a statement on Sunday morning, Hamas said it remained committed to the deal and blamed technical reasons for the delay.
A ceasefire in Gaza will not begin until Israel receives a list of hostages to be released by Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement early Sunday.
"The prime minister instructed the IDF that the ceasefire, which was supposed to take effect at 8:30 a.m., will not begin until Israel receives the list of hostages to be released, which Hamas has committed to providing," the statement said.
"The Hamas movement affirms its commitment to the terms of the ceasefire agreement and points out that the delay in sending the names to be released in the first batch was due to technical reasons in the field," the statement said.
ISRAELI MILITARY
The Israeli military will continue its activities in Gaza until Hamas provides the names of hostages to be released, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said at a news conference early Sunday.
"As of this morning, Hamas has not fulfilled its commitments to the agreement," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
"Following the prime minister's directive, the ceasefire will not come into effect as long as Hamas does not fulfill its obligations," Hagari said.
"The IDF will continue to attack the Gaza Strip as long as Hamas does not uphold its commitments to the agreement."
Hagari made the comments just as a ceasefire in Gaza was set to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time.
ALL EYES ON HAMAS
A ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas went into effect Sunday with the release of hostages to follow hours later, paving the way for a possible end to the 15-month war that has upended the Middle East.
Israeli forces began withdrawing from areas in Gaza's Rafah border to the Philadelphia corridor along the border between Egypt and Gaza, pro-Hamas media reported early Sunday.
The ceasefire agreement follows months of on-and-off negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, and comes just ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.
The three-phase ceasefire is set to go into effect early Sunday.
The first phase will last six weeks, during which 33 of the 98 remaining hostages — women, children, men over 50, the sick and the wounded — will be released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
They include 737 men, women and teenagers, some of whom are members of the Hamas group, as well as hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza held since the start of Israel’s genocide.
Three female hostages are expected to be released Sunday afternoon through the Red Cross, in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners each.
After Sunday’s hostage releases, lead US negotiator Brett McGurk said the deal calls for four more female hostages to be freed after seven days, followed by three more every seven days thereafter.
During the first phase, Israeli troops will withdraw from some positions in Gaza and Palestinians displaced from areas in northern Gaza will be allowed to return.
US President Joe Biden’s team is working with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to push the deal over the line.
Under the terms of the deal, Hamas will notify the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) where the meeting point will be inside Gaza, and the ICRC is expected to begin driving to that location to collect the hostages, an official involved in the process told Reuters.
A ceasefire deal could help end Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which began after the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the tiny coastal territory, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing an estimated 1,139 people, according to Israel.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive devastated the Gaza Strip, killing nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza health authorities. The genocide also sparked confrontations across the Middle East between Israel and its arch-foe Iran, which backs Hamas, and Palestinian supporters in countries including Lebanon, Yemen and Syria.
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