Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Gaza ceasefire agreement will not move forward unless Hamas releases a list of the 33 hostages it has agreed to free. His comments come ahead of the expected truce between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, which aims to facilitate the release of hostages and bring an end to months of intense conflict.
The latter declared in a message shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the ceasefire would not advance until Hamas fulfills its obligations. “We will not move forward with the agreement until we receive the list of hostages who will be released, as agreed. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. The sole responsibility lies with Hamas,” he stated.
הצהרה מיוחדת ממני אליכם >> pic.twitter.com/8CU2TOeOYn
Advertisement · Scroll to continue— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) January 18, 2025
This ultimatum emphasizes the clear stance of Israel in its determination to maintain the transparency and accountability of the ceasefire deal. The deal brokered by Qatar includes the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages for the remaining 98 that are still held hostage by Hamas. In return, Israel has agreed to the release of 2,000 Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli detention centers.
Ceasefire Timeline And Scope
According to Qatar, the facilitator of the agreement, the ceasefire is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 19, local time, at 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT). This will be part of the first phase of a truce expected to last 42 days, with talks on the next phase set to start in two weeks.
The ceasefire is an attempt to end the 15-month-long Israel-Hamas war, which has ravaged the Gaza Strip and brought much uncertainty to the entire Middle East region. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have died in the war, while around 1,200 Israelis died and 250 others were taken hostage after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Despite the impending ceasefire, the battle rages on. Israeli shelling on Gaza on Saturday was said to kill 23 individuals within the past 24 hours. The 46,000 plus Palestinian killed in the fray have left their homeland, the Gaza Strip, scarred and smoldering. Women and children make up half of the people killed, health officials in Gaza said, and it is unknown whether the rest of the dead can be classified either as civilians or militants.
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