Photo by
Gideon Markowicz/TPS-IL on 14 October, 2023
Ceasefire in Doubt After Hamas Fails to Provide List of Hostages
Jerusalem, 19 January, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- Hamas failed to provide Israel with the names of three hostages due to be released on Sunday, raising questions about the ceasefire that was supposed to begin at 8:30 AM.
“Up to this time Hamas has not transferred the names, under the direction of the Prime Minister, as long as the names are not transferred, the [Israel Defense Forces] continues to attack in Gaza,” military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.
“Israel is committed to the agreement, Hamas is not complying with the agreement. Any security violation of the agreement will have full significance,” Hagari added.
“We are committed to full security control and we will know how to be prepared for anything that happens during the agreement,” Hagari said.
Less than one hour before the ceasefire was supposed to begin, the IDF announced it had recovered the body of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, whose body was held in Gaza since 2014.
The first phase of the ceasefire will see 33 Israeli hostages freed over a period of several days in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The exact number will depend on how many of the 33 hostages are alive.
Meanwhile, Israel’s High Court of Justice rejected a legal petition against the release of the Palestinians.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 95 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead.
