A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip came into effect on Sunday following a nearly three-hour delay, temporarily halting a 15-month conflict that has caused widespread destruction and significant political shifts in the Middle East.

Residents and a medical worker in Gaza reported no new hostilities or military actions since approximately half an hour before the ceasefire was officially enacted. According to Palestinian medics, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire resulted in the deaths of 13 Palestinians between 0630 GMT, when the ceasefire was scheduled to start, and 0915 GMT, when it was ultimately implemented.

Israel attributed the delay to Hamas’s failure to provide a list of the first three hostages to be released under the agreement. In contrast, Hamas cited “technical” reasons for the postponement, without elaborating further. A Palestinian official, who requested anonymity, indicated that the delay was due to mediators requesting 48 hours of “calm” prior to the ceasefire’s initiation, but ongoing Israeli strikes up to the deadline complicated the process of sending the list.

Two hours after the deadline, Hamas announced that it had submitted the list of names, which Israeli officials confirmed receiving. The hostages identified for release on Sunday were Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari, although Israel did not immediately verify these names.

This long-awaited ceasefire agreement has the potential to bring an end to the Gaza conflict, which erupted after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities, according to Israeli sources.

Israel’s military actions have devastated much of Gaza, resulting in nearly 47,000 Palestinian fatalities, as reported by health authorities in the region. The conflict has also escalated tensions across the Middle East, particularly between Israel and Iran, which supports Hamas and various anti-Israeli and anti-American militant groups.

HOSTAGE LIST, LAST-MINUTE ATTACKS

Prior to the scheduled ceasefire at 0630 GMT, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the ceasefire could not commence until Hamas provided the names of the hostages to be released on Sunday.

Israeli military representatives indicated that their aircraft and artillery targeted “terror sites” in northern and central Gaza, asserting that operations would persist as long as Hamas failed to fulfill its ceasefire commitments. The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service reported that at least 13 individuals were killed in the Israeli strikes, with many others injured. Medical personnel noted that tanks were firing in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City, and both airstrikes and tank fire affected the northern town of Beit Hanoun, causing residents who had returned in anticipation of the ceasefire to flee once again.

The Israeli military clarified that an air raid siren in the Sderot area of southern Israel was a false alarm. Reports from pro-Hamas media indicated that Israeli forces had begun withdrawing from parts of Gaza’s Rafah towards the Philadelphi corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border.

The three-phase ceasefire agreement, which followed extensive negotiations facilitated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, was established just before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. The initial phase will span six weeks, during which 33 of the remaining 98 hostages—comprising women, children, men over 50, and the ill and injured—will be released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

The group consists of 737 prisoners, including males, females, and teenagers, some of whom are affiliated with militant organizations and have been convicted for attacks resulting in the deaths of numerous Israelis, as well as hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza who have been detained since the onset of the conflict.

The first three individuals to be released are female hostages, with their release facilitated by the Red Cross on Sunday. In exchange for each hostage, 30 Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli facilities will be freed.

According to the agreement, Hamas will notify the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regarding the designated meeting point within Gaza, and the ICRC is anticipated to proceed to that location to retrieve the hostages, as reported by an official involved in the negotiations to Reuters.

IS THE WAR COMING TO AN END?

President Joe Biden’s administration collaborated closely with former President Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to finalize the agreement. As Trump’s inauguration neared, he consistently urged for a swift resolution, cautioning that there would be severe consequences if the hostages were not released.

However, the future of Gaza remains uncertain without a comprehensive plan addressing the postwar reconstruction of the region, which will necessitate substantial financial resources and years of effort. While the declared purpose of the ceasefire is to bring the conflict to a close, there is a risk it could easily fall apart.

Hamas, which has governed Gaza for nearly twenty years, has managed to endure despite the loss of its senior leadership and thousands of its fighters. Israel has pledged not to permit Hamas to regain control and has cleared significant areas within Gaza, a move widely interpreted as an effort to establish a buffer zone that would enable its forces to operate more freely against potential threats in the region.

In Israel, the potential return of hostages could alleviate some public discontent directed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing administration, stemming from the security lapses on October 7 that resulted in the deadliest day in the nation’s history.

MIDEAST SHOCKWAVES

The ongoing conflict has reverberated throughout the region, igniting tensions with the Iran-aligned Lebanese Hezbollah and marking Israel’s first direct confrontation with its longstanding adversary, Iran. This situation has also reshaped the dynamics of the Middle East. Iran, which invested heavily in establishing a network of militant factions surrounding Israel, has seen its “Axis of Resistance” significantly weakened, managing to inflict only minimal damage on Israel during two substantial missile strikes.

Hezbollah, once perceived as the greatest threat to Israel due to its extensive missile stockpile, has suffered the loss of key leadership figures and the destruction of much of its missile capabilities and military infrastructure.

On the diplomatic stage, Israel has encountered widespread condemnation and isolation due to the casualties and destruction in Gaza. Netanyahu is currently facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, along with separate genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice.

Israel has responded vehemently to these allegations, dismissing them as politically driven and accusing South Africa, which initiated the ICJ case, along with the supporting nations, of antisemitism.