Displaced Palestinians left parts of Khan Younis on Sunday and returned to their homes in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Jihad Alshrafi/AP hide title
DEIR BALA, Gaza Strip - A long-awaited ceasefire in the Gaza Strip began after a three-hour delay, with Hamas releasing the names of three female hostages it plans to release later Sunday. Israel has vowed to keep fighting until names are received as the long and uncertain process of ending the war gets off to a rocky start.
Celebrations erupted across the war-torn territory as some Palestinians began returning home despite delays, underscoring the fragility of the deal. The truce, which began at 11:15 a.m. local time, is the first step toward finally ending the conflict and repatriating the nearly 100 hostages kidnapped in the Hamas attack that sparked the conflict on October 7, 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that Hamas had not fulfilled its promise to provide the names of the three hostages in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners.
At 8:30 a.m. local time, the deadline for the start of the truce passed, and the names of the three hostages had not yet been handed over. The Israeli military's top spokesman, Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari, said the army "continues its offensive" until Hamas complies with the agreement.
The military later said it had struck a number of armed targets in northern and central Gaza.
After the ceasefire was postponed, Israeli airstrikes killed at least eight people in the southern city of Khan Younis. Al-Nasser Hospital confirmed the casualties from Sunday's strike, which it said took place about two hours after the truce came into effect.
Gaza's health ministry reported that three other people were killed in attacks in Gaza City on Sunday.
Hamas earlier blamed "technical reasons" for the delay in handing over the names. It said in a statement it was committed to the ceasefire announced last week.
Meanwhile, Israel's hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his cabinet ministers submitted their resignations to the government on Sunday in opposition to the ceasefire. The departure of the Jewish Power party weakens Netanyahu's coalition but will not affect the ceasefire.
According to reports, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, during a special operation. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the war ended in 2014 and have not been returned despite public appeals from their families.
The planned ceasefire, which follows a year of intensive mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, is the first step in a long and fragile process aimed at ending the 15-month war.
Netanyahu said he had instructed the military that "the ceasefire will not begin until Israel has a list of hostages to be released that Hamas has promised to provide." He had issued a similar warning the night before.
The first phase of the 42-day ceasefire is expected to result in the return of a total of 33 hostages from Gaza and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Israeli forces should withdraw to the buffer zone inside Gaza and the many displaced Palestinians should be able to return to their homes. Humanitarian aid should also surge in affected areas.
It was only the second cease-fire in the war, longer and more consequential than the week-long truce more than a year ago and threatening to end the fighting for good.
Negotiations on a more difficult second phase of the ceasefire are due to begin in two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the remaining nearly 100 hostages in Gaza will be released.
According to an Associated Press reporter, dozens of people took to the streets of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis to celebrate the ceasefire. As the celebrations were underway, four masked and heavily armed Hamas fighters arrived in two vehicles and were greeted by people chanting slogans in support of the militant group.
The Gaza Civil Defense Force, under the Hamas government, held a parade in Gaza City where aid workers waved Palestinian flags along with other revelers, and footage also showed a small group holding Palestinian flags, the Associated Press reported. Islamic Jihad is the second largest militant group after Hamas to take part in the Oct. 7 attack.
Hamas-run police began deploying in public areas after largely laying low due to Israeli airstrikes. Gaza City residents said they saw their activities in parts of the city, and an Associated Press correspondent in Khan Younis saw a small number of people on the streets.
Palestinian residents began returning to their homes in parts of Gaza City early Sunday, although tank shelling continued overnight in the east, near the Israeli border. Residents said families could be seen returning on foot with their belongings loaded on donkey carts.
"The sound of shelling and explosions has not stopped," said Gaza City resident Ahmed Maat, who said he saw many families leaving shelters and returning to their homes. "People are impatient. They want this madness to end," he said.
Israel's cabinet approved the ceasefire early Saturday in a rare meeting held during the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after mediators announced it. The warring sides are under pressure from the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to reach a deal before the U.S. presidential inauguration on Monday.
The war took a huge toll, and new details about its scope are now about to emerge.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed. The war began with a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers died.
About 90% of Gaza's population has been displaced. The United Nations said health systems, road networks and other critical infrastructure were severely damaged. If the ceasefire reaches its final stages, reconstruction efforts will take at least several years. Major questions about Gaza's future, political and otherwise, remain unresolved.