With a Several-Hour Delay; Names of Three Female Hostages to Be Released by Hamas Today

The Times of Israel, citing Palestinian media, reported that a senior Hamas official stated that the group, recognized as a terrorist organization by many countries, has sent the necessary list of hostages to be released today to Israel. An Israeli official also told the public broadcaster 'Kan' that Hamas has provided the names of three women to the mediators. According to reports, Hamas announced that 'Romi Gonen', 'Emily Damari', and 'Doron Steinberger' are the three hostages to be released today. This several-hour delay by Hamas in providing the required list caused a delay in the implementation of the ceasefire, and following this delay and the order from the Israeli Prime Minister, the Israeli army also announced that Hamas is not adhering to the ceasefire agreement and the hostage deal, and military operations in Gaza continue. Earlier today, before the news of the list being sent by Hamas was published, the Israeli army announced that it had recently conducted artillery shelling and several drone strikes against Hamas targets in northern and central Gaza, as the ceasefire had not yet been implemented. A statement read: 'The Israeli Defense Forces continue operations and attacks on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.' Minutes after these reports were published, AFP reported that a Hamas official announced on Sunday, January 30, that the list of hostages to be released according to the ceasefire agreement with Israel could be provided 'at any moment', but the existing 'complexities' in Gaza and Israeli bombings have caused delays. These remarks were made by an official involved in the ceasefire negotiations based in Doha. Israel stated that this delay occurred due to Hamas's failure to provide the list. The Times of Israel writes that the implementation of the ceasefire has faced delays because Hamas did not comply with the terms of the agreement and did not provide the names of the three female hostages who were supposed to be released today. Meanwhile, another report stated that the body of Oron Shaul, a soldier who was killed in 2014, has been recovered from Gaza. The ceasefire was supposed to be implemented from 8:30 AM, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this morning that the agreement would not be executed unless the terrorist group Hamas adheres to the terms of the agreement and provides the names of the three female hostages. According to the terms of this agreement, Hamas was required to announce the names of the hostages at least 24 hours before their release. The three women are expected to be released today around 4:30 PM, but Hamas has not yet confirmed which three of the 97 hostages will be released, attributing the delay to 'technical reasons'. In exchange for the release of about 100 of its hostages, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners. Netanyahu: The ceasefire will not begin until Hamas announces the list of hostages. Netanyahu reiterated the need to destroy Hamas and return all hostages.