New Delhi:
Hours before the start of a ceasefire in the Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they will not be able to “move forward with the framework” until they have the list of hostages that Hamas will release.
“We will not be able to move forward with the framework until we receive the list of hostages to be released as agreed. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. Hamas is solely responsible,” Netanyahu said in a post on X in Hebrew.
In a televised address, Netanyahu said Israel “reserves the right to resume the war if necessary” with US support. He said he will ensure that all hostages are returned to Israel.
“We reserve the right to resume the war if necessary, with American support,” Netanyahu said in the televised statement. He added that Israel has “changed the face of the Middle East” since the war began.
Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, including 34 who the Israeli army says are dead.
The ceasefire would come into effect on Sunday morning, mediator Qatar said, after Israel’s cabinet voted to approve the ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Since Qatar and the US, which brokered the deal with Egypt, announced the deal on Wednesday, Israeli attacks on Gaza have continued.
On Saturday, Gaza’s Civil Protection Rescue Agency said at least five members of a family were killed when an attack hit their tent in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, AFP news agency reported. Explosions were heard over Jerusalem after air raid sirens sounded and the army said a projectile had been launched from Yemen, which Iran-backed Huthi rebels say is supporting the Palestinians.
In the more than 15 months of war between Hamas and Israel, there has been only one previous ceasefire, for one week, in November 2023. That deal also saw the release of hostages held by the militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel’s Justice Ministry previously said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be released as part of the first phase of the deal – none before 4pm (2pm GMT) on Sunday.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said an initial 42-day ceasefire would see 33 hostages released by militants in Gaza.
Sheikh Mohammed told Sky News that the framework signed this week was the same as the one agreed on December 23, adding that it amounted to “13 months of wasted negotiating details”.
The ceasefire is due to come into effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration for a second term as US president.
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing 46,899 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
With input from AFP