Shaky first day for Gaza cease-fire as Israel drags its feet

The cease-fire agreement, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S., pauses the 15-month war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and took some 250 hostages into Gaza.

The deal has three phases. The first will see the staggered release of 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and more than 700 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The government released their names in the morning.

Following the release of the first three hostages, Israel was expected to free the first Palestinian detainees. According to Hamas, the 90 Palestinians that were due to go free on Sunday included 69 women and 21 teenage boys, the youngest of whom is 15.

Israel’s Cabinet ratified the agreement in the early hours of Saturday despite opposition from hard-right ministers, who threatened to derail the process. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the first exchange of prisoners would take place “as early as Sunday.”

Negotiations for the second phase of the agreement are due to begin on Day 16 of the cease-fire. The talks would include discussion of a permanent end to the fighting, a total withdrawal of Israel’s armed forces, and the release of the remaining hostages.

Phase three would involve the return of dead hostages and the start of a major rebuilding effort in Gaza, which has been devastated by the war. Steve Witkoff, United States President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Middle East envoy, suggested some of Gaza’s 2 million residents could be temporarily relocated to Indonesia.