Live: First phase of ceasefire deal comes into effect in Gaza

Netanyahu warns again that Gaza ceasefire will not begin until Hamas provides a hostage list

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said early Sunday that the ceasefire in Gaza will not begin until Israel has received a list of the hostages set to be released from Hamas.

He reiterated the warning in a statement barely an hour before the ceasefire was set to begin at 8:30 am local time.

Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical field reasons.” It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.

Ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war to begin at 0630 GMT

A ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war is to begin on Sunday at 0630 GMT, with three Israeli hostages to be released from captivity in return for a first group of Palestinian prisoners.

If all goes to plan, a total of 33 hostages taken by militants during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel will be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day truce.

Under the deal, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails.

The truce is intended to pave the way to an end to more than 15 months of war sparked by the October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israeli history.

It follows a deal struck by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of fruitless negotiations, and takes effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.

Hello and welcome to our liveblog on covering the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Catch up on yesterday’s events here.

• The first phase of the agreement calls for an initial six-week ceasefire, the staggered release of 33 hostages held by Hamas and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Three Israeli hostages are to be released on Sunday, the UN said. 
• The 33 hostages set for release in the first phase include women, children and the elderly, sick and wounded. The fate of the remaining 98 Israeli hostages has yet to be agreed. The Israeli justice ministry on Friday published a list of 95 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women, who will also be freed initially. 
• Phase 1 also includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and is expected to allow a surge of humanitarian aid into the enclave. Some 600 aid trucks are ready to cross into Gaza once the border is reopened, according to the UN. Israel and Hamas also agreed to begin talks aimed at finding a permanent end to the war.