Israel Delays Gaza Ceasefire Until Hamas Provides Names of Hostages
Israel declared it would not carry out the truce before Hamas provided the names of the three hostages to be released today. According to an announcement by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, those names "should have been submitted at least 24 hours prior to the expected time of exchange that is planned for after 16:00 local time today.".
Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed the Israeli military to stand down all ceasefire preparations until the list of the hostages' names is received. Late yesterday, it was still unclear where the hostage exchange would take place, with the Israeli military making preparations to have up to three exchange sites located near the borders of southern, central and northern Gaza.
This delay underlines the need for a timely and transparent exchange of hostages, part of broader efforts in the region to diffuse tensions.