Gaza cease-fire comes into force after delay

A long-awaited cease-fire in the Gaza Strip took effect on Sunday after a delay of almost three hours, amid concerns that the serious trust deficit between Israel and Hamas might hamper its implementation and prospects for lasting peace in the Middle East.

An announcement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the cease-fire began at 11:15 am, instead of the planned 8:30 am. The delay was attributed to Hamas not providing the names of three Israeli hostages set for release. Israel had said it would keep fighting until the names were handed over.

Hamas cited "technical field reasons" for the delay and later named the three female hostages as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, saying it is committed to the deal announced last week. The three hostages were expected to be released after 4 pm on Sunday, Netanyahu's office said.

During the delay, the Israeli military carried out strikes across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 13 Palestinians, medics said.

A Palestinian official familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the delay occurred because mediators had asked for 48 hours of "calm" before the implementation, but continued Israeli strikes right up until the deadline had made it difficult to send the list.

The delay underscored the fragility over the cease-fire implementation, during which Hamas would release the three hostages in exchange for scores of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, the first step in a long process aimed at ending the 15-month-old conflict.

On the seventh day of the deal, four more hostages will be released, and this procedure is expected to occur every Saturday for the next six weeks, leading up to the release of more hostages.

The three-stage deal was announced after months of negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, and came ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday.

On Sunday morning, Palestinian residents began returning to their homes in parts of Gaza City, even as tank shelling continued. Families could be seen making their way back on foot, with their belongings loaded on donkey carts, residents said.

"The sound of shelling and explosions didn't stop," said Ahmed Matter, a Gaza resident. He said he saw many families leaving their shelters and returning to their homes. "People are impatient. They want this madness to end."

Temporary phase

Netanyahu had warned the 42-day first phase could be "temporary", as negotiations on the second phase should begin in two weeks.

Meanwhile, the party of Israel's hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said its Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations from the government on Sunday in opposition to the cease-fire.

Since Oct 7, 2023, Hamas and Israel have been engaged in a fierce conflict that has killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians. The conflict began after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

The United Nations said Gaza's health system, road network and other vital infrastructure have been badly damaged. Rebuilding — if the cease-fire reaches its final phase — will need billions of dollars and years of work.

About 200 aid delivery trucks began arriving on Sunday at the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing ahead of entry into Gaza, two Egyptian sources told Reuters.

Although the international community has welcomed the truce, Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, said it remains a fragile prelude to peace, as there is serious mistrust between the two sides.

"Without a fundamental settlement of the two sides' historical disputes and the implementation of the two-state solution, any cease-fire could be a pause in the next conflict," Ma said. "Peace will never come until the parties to the conflict abandon the zero-sum mentality and the philosophy of violence."

Afaf Al-Najjar, a Palestinian journalist from Gaza, said temporary peace cannot replace the right to live freely and to dream beyond survival, calling for more meaningful actions from the international community, particularly Western powers.

"How do we rebuild a life in such conditions, knowing that this cease-fire might crumble as quickly as it came?" she asked.

Agencies contributed to this story.