First hostages to be released on Sunday as Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal set to start at 8:30 am

The ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, has seen ups and downs in the past one year but came a day ahead of the inauguration of the incoming President-elect Donald Trump, who had warned Hamas of releasing the hostages before he returns to White House.

The ceasefire, which consists of three phases, will see the release of 33 of the remaining 98 hostages – women, children, men over 50, the ill and wounded in return for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in the first phase, according to Reuters.

Iranian worshippers attend a rally after their Friday prayers to celebrate the announcement of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel as they hold Palestinian, Iranian and Hezbollah flags, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that if the ceasefire agreement terms are broken by Hamas, then the military campaign of Israel Defense Forces will resume.

Netanyahu said US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump gave Israel “full backing” to resume fighting if it feels negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire are “futile.”

Addressing the nation in a televised speech, PM Netanyahu said, “We reserve the right to resume the war if necessary, with American support.” Netanyahu further added, “We changed the face of the Middle East,” and claimed that Hamas is now “completely isolated”, the BBC reported.

Netanyahu has also said that the deal will not move forward if Hamas doesn’t release the names of the hostages it was poised to release according to the ceasefire agreement.

On Sunday, Hamas is set to release three hostages and 30 more will be released through the rest of the first phase of the deal.

The Israeli cabinet approved the deal early on Saturday and the country’s Justice Ministry said that it will release more than 730 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, mostly from the West Bank and over 1,100 Gaza residents held by Israel.

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