A fragile cease-fire and hostage deal reached between Hamas and Israel came into effect on Sunday morning, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israel had officially received a list of three female hostages who are expected to be released later today.
At the request of the prime minister’s office, the names are not yet being released publicly.
“We request all media and the public not to circulate the details of the list ... and safeguard the privacy of the families,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Hamas previously said it would release three female Israeli civilian hostages on day one of the cease-fire and four more on the seventh day. It would then release three more hostages every seven days.
Netanyahu “instructed the IDF that the cease-fire, which is scheduled to take effect at 8:30 a.m., will not begin until Israel has the list of hostages to be released, which Hamas has pledged to provide,” it added.
Early on Sunday morning the start of the cease-fire remained uncertain, as Netanyahu said that Israel was still awaiting the names of the three female civilians who Hamas had said they would release on Jan. 19. The names were supposed to have been released Saturday afternoon.
In the upcoming phase one of the deal, if it holds, Hamas will release a total of 33 hostages—most of whom are still alive. In exchange, Israel has agree to release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners convicted of acts of terror against Israel.
Alongside the prisoner exchange, Hamas will be expected to halt its rocket attacks against Israel during the cease-fire period while Israel will be expected to withdraw its troops to the buffer zones in Gaza toward the east, away from the populated areas.
The cease-fire will also make way for the unimpeded flow of more humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
Acting as a mediator alongside the United States between Israel and Hamas in the cease-fire talks, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani remarked that the agreement’s survival depends on both sides “acting in good faith in order to ensure that this agreement does not collapse.”
The U.S. Department of Defense stated that “portions of the arrangement remain sensitive,” and that both Israel and Hamas have agreed to maintain open channels of communication for “further confidence-building measures.”
“The State of Israel is committed to achieving all of the objectives of the war including the return of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” Netanyahu’s office stated on Jan. 17 upon announcement of the deal.
The first phase of the three-phase deal—the hostages-for-prisoners swap—was scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. local time. Discussions regarding the second and third phases are planned for a later time.
Since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and kidnapped over 250 hostages, negotiations and Israel’s rescue efforts have seen 157 hostages released, 117 of whom have been returned alive. Some of the hostages were Negev Arabs (Bedouins).
Hamas is believed to be still holding 98 hostages. Israel estimates that a third of those are dead.
