ISLAMABAD
\nA long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza began after a three-hour delay as Hamas named the three female hostages it plans to free later on Sunday. Israel had vowed to keep fighting until it received the names, as the long and uncertain process aimed at ending the war got off to a bumpy start.
\nCelebrations erupted across the war-ravaged territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes despite the delay, which underscored the fragility of the agreement. The truce, which started at 11:15 a.m. local time, is a first step toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered it.
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Hamas had not lived up to its commitment to provide the names of the three hostages it was set to release in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners.
\nThe names of the three hostages had not been handed over when the deadline for the truce to begin passed at 8:30 a.m. local time.
\nHamas had earlier blamed the delay in handing over the names on \u201ctechnical field reasons.\u201d It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.
\nThe party of Israel\u2019s hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir meanwhile said its Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations from the government on Sunday in opposition to the ceasefire. The departure of the Jewish Power party weakens Netanyahu\u2019s coalition but will not affect the ceasefire.
\nIn a separate development, 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.
\nThe planned ceasefire, agreed 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.
\nNetanyahu said he had instructed the military that the ceasefire \u201cwill not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide.\u201d He had issued a similar warning the night before.
\nThe 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from Gaza 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.
\nThis is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than the weeklong pause over a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good.
\nNegotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD A long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza began after a three-hour delay as Hamas named the three female hostages it plans to free later on Sunday. Israel had vowed to keep fighting until it received the names, as the long and uncertain process aimed at ending the war got off to a bumpy start. Celebrations erupted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":456508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-456478","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n