Netanyahu says Gaza ceasefire won't start until Hamas gives captives list

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his forces not to begin the ceasefire in Gaza, which is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT), until Hamas gives the names of the hostages to be freed, according to his office.

“The prime minister instructed the IDF that the ceasefire, which is supposed to go into effect at 8:30 am, will not begin until Israel has the list of released abductees that Hamas has pledged to provide,” his office said in a statement on Sunday.

In a statement issued shortly after, Hamas attributed the delay in giving over the names to "technical field reasons." It stated that it is committed to the cease-fire agreement announced last week.

Netanyahu's threat came hours after he stated that Israel held the right to restart hostilities in Gaza and had the US's support if the second stage of the truce failed.

The first 42 days of the truce should witness the return of 33 hostages from Gaza as well as the liberation of hundreds of Palestinian inmates and detainees.

Israeli soldiers should withdraw to a buffer zone within Gaza, allowing many displaced Palestinians to return home. Humanitarian help should also increase in the damaged areas.

This is the war's second truce, longer and more significant than the weeklong respite over a year ago, and has the ability to end the violence for good.

Negotiations on the much more challenging second phase of this cease-fire should begin in just over two weeks. Major issues remain, including whether the conflict will restart after the six-week initial phase and how the remaining almost 100 prisoners in Gaza will be released.

The ceasefire was accepted by Israel's cabinet on Saturday in an unusual session on the Jewish Sabbath, more than two days after negotiators declared it.

Both the outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump put pressure on the conflicting factions to reach an agreement before Monday's US presidential inauguration.