Media: Hamas delays handing over hostage lists to Israel

Hamas is expected to provide the list of hostages slated for release on January 19 within hours.

Despite prior commitments, Hamas missed the 4:30 p.m. (GMT+2) deadline but reportedly assured mediators it would submit the list soon after transferring them to a secure location. Israeli officials remain confident that the plan will proceed as scheduled, Caliber.Az reports per Israeli media. 

The government approved the cease-fire agreement with Hamas early January 18, set to take effect on January 19 at 8:30 a.m., 415 days after the first truce following the December 2023 hostage deal and 471 days since the October 7 massacre that sparked the war.

Under the deal’s initial phase, 33 hostages will be released over 42 days, starting with three hostages scheduled for release on January 19 evening in exchange for dozens of Palestinian prisoners. The truce requires the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to begin a gradual withdrawal from populated areas in Gaza. 

The release of the first three hostages is expected to start no earlier than 4 p.m. on January 19. Israeli officials have expressed readiness for delays and violations, with one senior source warning of Hamas’ likely use of psychological warfare and propaganda throughout the deal. 

The agreement’s first violation has already occurred, with Hamas missing the deadline to deliver the names of the first hostages. Once the hostages are handed over to Israel under Red Cross mediation, 90 Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli prisons and transferred to the West Bank or East Jerusalem. The deal’s future remains uncertain, as the agreement’s second phase, involving the release of additional hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full withdrawal from Gaza, has not been finalized.  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement.  

Without the list of names, Israel would not continue to implement the agreement ratified by its government early on January 18, he warned.  

Hamas sources said that the militia would submit the list with the names of the three hostages in the coming hours.  

Under the agreement, Hamas must notify Israel 24 hours in advance of the names of the hostages being handed over. Three civilian women kidnapped from Israel are to be released first, Israeli media reported.  

Later, Netanyahu said during a speech that Israel has retained “the right to return to fighting if necessary” if the planned ceasefire agreement fails.

Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire-for-hostages agreement following intensive mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and led to the abduction of 251 individuals to Gaza as hostages.

In retaliation, Israel launched a military operation aimed at eliminating Hamas. According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, the war has resulted in over 46,500 deaths. Israel reports that 94 of its citizens remain in Gaza, including 34 presumed dead, along with four other Israelis taken before the war, two of whom are also believed to be dead.

By Naila Huseynova