Deadline passes without Gaza cease-fire as Israel demands a hostage list

DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip —  The deadline for the start of a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip passed as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would not begin until Hamas provides the names of the three hostages it was set to release later Sunday in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners.

The dispute had not been resolved when the deadline for the truce to begin passed at 8:30 a.m. local time. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top Israeli military spokesman, said the army “continues to attack, even now, inside the Gaza arena,” and would until Hamas complies with the agreement.

Meanwhile, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier who was killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the 2014 war and had not been returned despite a public campaign by their families.

Netanyahu said he had instructed the military that the cease-fire “will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide.” He had issued a similar warning the night before.

Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical field reasons.” The militant group said in a statement that it is committed to the cease-fire agreement announced last week.

The planned cease-fire, agreed upon after a year of intensive mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, is the first step in a long and fragile process aimed at winding down the 15-month war.

The 42-day first phase of the cease-fire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from the Gaza Strip and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released. Israeli forces should pull back into a buffer zone inside Gaza, and many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home. The devastated territory should also see a surge in humanitarian aid.

This is just the second cease-fire in the war, longer and more consequential than the weeklong pause more than a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good.

Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this cease-fire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the rest of the nearly 100 hostages in Gaza will be freed.

Dozens of people took to the streets in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis to celebrate the cease-fire, according to an Associated Press reporter.

Four masked and armed Hamas fighters arrived in two vehicles as the celebrations were underway, with people welcoming them and chanting slogans in support of the militant group.

The Hamas-run police began deploying in public after mostly lying low for months due to Israeli airstrikes. Gaza City residents said they had seen them operating in parts of the city, and the AP reporter in Khan Yunis saw a small number out on the streets.

Palestinian residents began returning to their homes in parts of Gaza City early Sunday, even as tank shelling continued overnight to the east, closer to the Israeli border. Families could be seen making their way back on foot with their belongings loaded on donkey carts, residents said.

“The sound of shelling and explosions didn’t stop,” said Ahmed Matter, a Gaza City resident. He said he saw many families leaving their shelters and returning to their homes. “People are impatient. They want this madness to end.”

Israel’s Cabinet approved the cease-fire early Saturday in a rare session during the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after mediators announced the deal. Israel and Hamas were under pressure from the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump’s team to achieve a deal before the presidential inauguration on Monday.

The toll of the war has been immense, and new details on its scope will soon emerge.

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its toll, but says at least half of the dead are women and children. The Oct. 7, 2023, a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died.

Some 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced. The United Nations says the health system, road network and other vital infrastructure have been badly damaged. Rebuilding — if the cease-fire reaches its final phase — will take several years at least. Major questions about Gaza’s future, political and otherwise, remain unresolved.

Shurafa, Magdy and Goldenberg write for the Associated Press and reported from Deir al Balah, Cairo and Tel Aviv, respectively. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.