The first phase of the agreed-upon ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization is set to take effect at 8:30 am Sunday, but may not take place as scheduled due to more games by Hamas.
Israel has yet to receive the names of the first three hostages to be freed on that day — a direct violation of the agreement before it has even been implemented.
“We will be unable to move forward with the framework until we receive the list of the hostages who will be released, as was agreed,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Saturday night.
“Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. Hamas is solely responsible.”
The terrorist organization also has yet to reveal the status of the 33 hostages to be freed by the end of the six-week ceasefire.
If the deal goes through, three female hostages will be freed at 4 pm. Ninety-five incarcerated terrorists will be moved under heavy guard to facilities where they will be held until their release.
In addition, 600 aid trucks, including 50 fuel tankers, will enter Gaza every day, beginning on Sunday.
Four female captives are to be freed on the seventh day of the agreement, with three hostages released each subsequent week. The deal concludes in the sixth week with the release of all remaining hostages.
By the end of the first phase, a total of 33 women, children (Kfir and Ariel Bibas), elderly men over 50 and civilians with medical needs are to be freed, including long-term captives Avera Mengistu and Hisham el-Sayyid.
Only 23 of the above captives have been confirmed to be among the living.
The Rafah municipality in southern Gaza has warned city residents not to approach the border area with Egypt on the Philadelphia axis because the Israeli army will be there throughout the first phase of the ceasefire (42 days). Access to the area is prohibited and dangerous, according to the municipality’s announcement.
IDF Warns Gazans
IDF Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued a warning to Gaza residents on Saturday, explaining the terms of the first stage of the agreement.
#عاجل ‼️ بيان عاجل إلى سكان قطاع غزة بخصوص دخول اتفاق وقف إطلاق النار حيز التنفيذ صباح غدًّا في تمام الساعة 08:30.
⭕️أود توضيح الأمور التالية لتفادي الاحتكاكات وسوء الفهم. نحن في جيش الدفاع ننوي التاكد من تطبيق كافة تفاصيل الاتفاق.
⭕️بناء على الاتفاق تبقى قوات جيش الدفاع… pic.twitter.com/iF9jDzbA4g
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) January 18, 2025
“I would like to clarify the following matters in order to avoid friction and misunderstandings. We in the IDF intend to ensure that all details of the agreement are implemented,” Adraee wrote.
“According to the agreement, IDF forces will remain deployed in specific areas in the Gaza Strip. Do not approach IDF forces in the area until further notice. Approaching the forces exposes you to danger.
“Movement from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip or towards the Netzarim Road remains dangerous in light of the IDF activities in the area. The moment this movement is permitted, a statement and instructions will be issued regarding safe methods of movement. We warn the population against approaching IDF forces in general and in the Netzarim axis area in particular.
“In the southern Gaza Strip, it is dangerous to approach the Rafah Crossing area, the Philadelphi axis area and all areas where forces are deployed.
“In the maritime area along the Gaza Strip, there is a great risk of fishing, swimming and diving, and we warn against entering the sea in the coming days.
“It is forbidden to approach Israeli territory and the buffer zone. Approaching the buffer zone is extremely dangerous,” Adraee warned.
If Hamas Keeps the Agreement
In the second stage of the deal, the living male hostages are to be freed and the final deployment of Israeli forces in a buffer zone along the Gaza borders.
Israel will withdraw its forces from the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza and where troops have been deployed to maintain control over terrorist movements. Israel has also agreed to eventually withdraw its forces even from the Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt, through which Hamas “imported” vast amounts of weaponry and ordnance, among other items — in direct contradiction to multiple pledges by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The remaining deceased hostages are to be returned to Israel in the third and final phase of the deal, during which reconstruction will begin in Gaza.
Hamas is still holding 98 hostages, including 36 who are confirmed deceased. Two living hostages, both with mental health issues, have been held since 2014 and 2015. The bodies of two Israeli soldiers have also been held since 2014 — both fighters were killed in a Hamas ambush, violating the ceasefire agreement that was to end the 2014 summer war.
The current deal was approved Friday afternoon, first by Israel’s Security Cabinet and then by the full government.
IDF Preparations in Judea, Samaria
IDF Chief of Staff LTG Herzi Halevi has ordered the reinforcement of troops in Central Command – the sector that includes Judea and Samaria – in preparation for the ceasefire, which will free 95 terrorists in the first tranche.
Counterterrorism and other defensive efforts are to be upgraded along the main routes and in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Defensive plans were also approved for Southern Command.
Hamas violated the previous hostage release and ceasefire deal in November 2023, resuming its attacks on Israel and opting not to free the 10 hostages that were set to be released on that day.
Moreover, according to the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, fully 82 percent of the 1,027 incarcerated terrorists released by Israel in exchange for the freedom of then-IDF soldier Gilad Shalit — all of whom signed pledges not to return to their criminal ways — did in fact return to their terrorist activities.
Of those who were released by Israel in the 2011 deal with Hamas, 280 were serving life sentences for planning and perpetrating terror attacks against Israeli targets, including bloodthirsty Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, finally eliminated by the IDF last year.
