Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning Sunday that unless Hamas produced a list of hostages to be freed, a ceasefire in Gaza that was supposed to start at 0630 GMT would not start.
The militant organisation claimed the delay was caused by “technical reasons.”
In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said, “The prime minister told the IDF (military) that the ceasefire, which is set to start at 8:30 am, will not start until Israel receives the list of released hostages, which Hamas has promised to provide.”
Hamas declared that it was “affirming its commitment” to the ceasefire’s conditions.
According to a statement from the group, “technical reasons are the reason for the delay in providing the names of those to be released in the first batch.”
Netanyahu had issued a warning late on Saturday that the exchange of Palestinian inmates for hostages on Sunday would not take place unless the list of captives was given.
He added that the present ceasefire was “temporary” and that Israel had the right to reopen the conflict “if necessary,” with American assistance.
Following months of challenging negotiations mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, the truce is scheduled to start at 6:30 GMT.
