Israel Will Not Cease Fire in Gaza, Netanyahu Says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that a ceasefire in Gaza will not begin until the Palestinian Hamas movement provides a list of hostages to be released. This was reported by local media.

The Israeli government's press service stated that overnight, Netanyahu conducted an assessment of the security situation concerning the delay in receiving the list of hostages, who are expected to be freed. The Prime Minister has instructed the military that the ceasefire, which is supposed to take effect at 8:30 AM (10:30 AM Yerevan time), will not commence until Israel receives the list of hostages to be released that Hamas has committed to provide.

In the Gaza Strip, the conflicting parties—Israel and the Hamas movement—have agreed to a 42-day ceasefire starting January 19, with mediation from Qatar, Egypt, and the USA, and have expressed a desire for the final cessation of military operations. In the first phase, Hamas is set to release 33 hostages in exchange for the release of more than 1,890 prisoners by Israel.