A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has officially begun ushering in an initial six-week period of calm after a devastating 15-month conflict.
A last-minute delay by Hamas put off the start of the truce by nearly three hours and highlighted its fragility.
Israeli airstrikes, artillery and tank attacks continued in northern Gaza after the initial deadline of 8.30am local time, killing at least 13 Palestinians and wounding dozens more before the ceasefire actually took effect at 11.15am. Israel’s military said it had carried out air and artillery strikes against “terror targets”.
Israel blamed Hamas for the delay after the Palestinian militant group failed to provide a list naming the first three hostages it would release later on Sunday as part of the agreement.
The conflict started after Hamas killed around 1,200 people in a terror attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, and abducted another 250.
Around 94 Israelis are still being held captive inside the Gaza Strip, and the military believes at least a third of these are dead.
In response, Israel launched a devastating bombing and ground campaign in Gaza, killing more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Here is everything we know about the deal:
A six-week initial ceasefire phase includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50. Hamas will release female hostages and under 19s first, followed by men over 50.
The first three hostages released from Gaza arrived in Israel on Sunday for tearful reunions with families.
Footage showed 28-year-old Emily Damari, 24-year-old Romi Gonen and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher in a tense handover to the Red Cross on a Gaza City street.
Israel will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas releases. The total number of Palestinians released will depend on hostages released, and could be between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian detainees including men, women and children.
Israel’s Justice Ministry published a list of 737 Palestinian prisoners who are to be released under the ceasefire deal just hours after its Cabinet approved the agreement. The list includes members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups, some of whom are serving lifetime sentences and are convicted of serious offenses such as murder.
