DEIR AL-BALAH, 19 JAN

 A long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza began after a three-hour delay as Hamas named the three female hostages it plans to free later on Sunday.

Israel had vowed to keep fighting until it received the names, as the long and uncertain process aimed at ending the war got off to a bumpy start.

Celebrations erupted across the war-ravaged territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes despite the delay, which underscored the fragility of the agreement. The truce, which started at 11.15am local time, is a first step toward ultimately ending the conflict and returning nearly 100 hostages abducted in the 7 October, 2023 Hamas attack that triggered it.

Israeli media reported that Romi Gonen, 24, who was abducted from a music festival and appeared on the Hamas list, is set to be released, citing her brother's social media. Israel has not confirmed any of the three names provided by Hamas, and the other two families have not yet commented.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier Hamas had not lived up to its commitment to provide the names of the three hostages it was set to release in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners. The military said it would continue to attack targets in Gaza until the names were provided.

An Israeli airstrike killed at least eight people in the southern city of Khan Younis after the ceasefire was delayed. Nasser Hospital confirmed the casualties from Sunday's strike, which it said had occurred around two hours after the truce was supposed to take effect. Gaza's Health Ministry reported another three deaths from strikes on Sunday in Gaza City.

Hamas had earlier 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.

The party of Israel's hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir meanwhile said its Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations from the government on Sunday in opposition to the ceasefire. The departure of the Jewish Power party weakens Netanyahu's coalition but will not affect the ceasefire.

In a separate development, Israel announced that it had recovered the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier who was killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, in a special operation. The bodies of Shaul and another soldier, Hadar Goldin, remained in Gaza after the 2014 war and had not been returned despite a public campaign by their families.

Delay underscores fragility of the agreement

The planned ceasefire, agreed after a year of intensive mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, is the first step in a long and fragile process aimed at winding down the 15-month war.

Netanyahu said he had instructed the military that the ceasefire “will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide.” He had issued a similar warning the night before.

The 42-day first phase of the ceasefire should see a total of 33 hostages returned from Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees released.

Israeli forces should pull back into a buffer zone inside Gaza, and many displaced Palestinians should be able to return home. The devastated territory should also see a surge in humanitarian aid.

This is just the second ceasefire in the war, longer and more consequential than the weeklong pause over a year ago, with the potential to end the fighting for good.

Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of this ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks. Major questions remain, including whether the war will resume after the six-week first phase and how the rest of the nearly 100 hostages in Gaza will be freed.

Palestinians celebrate despite delay

Across the Gaza Strip, celebrations erupted early Sunday as people hoped for respite after 15 months of war that killed tens of thousands and destroyed large areas of the territory. Masked militants appeared at some of the celebrations, where the crowds chanted slogans in support of them, according to Associated Press reporters in Gaza.

Gaza's Civil Defence, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government, held a parade in Gaza City, where the rescuers waved a Palestinian flag alongside other revellers, according to AP footage, which also showed a small group of people carrying the flags of Islamic Jihad, the second largest militant group after Hamas, which took part in the 7 October attack.

The Hamas-run police began deploying in public after mostly lying low due to Israeli airstrikes. Gaza City residents said they had seen them operating in parts of the city, and the AP reporter in Khan Younis saw a small number out on the streets.

Palestinian residents began returning to their homes in parts of Gaza City early Sunday, even as tank shelling continued to the east, closer to the Israeli border, overnight. 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 City resident. He said he saw many families leaving their shelters and returning to their homes. “People are impatient. They want this madness to end," he said.

Reactions in Israel were more muted, as people hoped for the safe return of the hostages but remained divided over the agreement.

Asher Pizem, 35, from the Israeli city of Sderot near Gaza, said he eagerly awaited the return of the captives. But he said the deal had merely postponed the next confrontation with Hamas and criticized Israel for allowing aid into Gaza, saying it would contribute to the revival of the militant group.

“They will take the time and attack again,” he said while overlooking smoldering ruins in Gaza from a hillock in southern Israel with others who had gathered there.

Israel's Cabinet approved the ceasefire early Saturday in a rare session during the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after mediators announced the deal. The warring sides were under pressure from both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump to achieve a deal before the US presidential inauguration on Monday.

The toll of the war has been immense, and new details on its scope will now emerge.

Over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The 7 October, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war killed over 1,200. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have died.

Some 90 per cent of Gaza's population has been displaced. The United Nations says the health system, road network and other vital infrastructure have been badly damaged. Rebuilding – if the ceasefire reaches its final phase – will take several years at least. Major questions about Gaza's future, political and otherwise, remain unresolved.