Gaza ceasefire begins after 3-hour delay

The ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Jan. 19.

It kicked off at 11:15am (Palestine time) after a three-hour delay.

According to Associated Press (AP News), the announcement by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office follows the naming of three female hostages by Hamas on Jan. 19.

Israel National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a member of a far-right political party and a vocal critic of the ceasefire deal, resigned from Netanyahu's government following the truce, reported BBC.

Delayed for three hours, Israel demanded Hamas to name hostages

The delay was caused after Hamas did not hand over the names of three hostages requested by Israel, according to Israel military spokesperson Daniel Hagari.

AP News reported that Israel had earlier said it would keep fighting until Hamas provided the list.

Two hours after the ceasefire was postponed, at least 19 Palestinians died from an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, reported Al-Jazeera.

The ceasefire was originally supposed to start at 8:30am (local time).

Israel had earlier published a list of Israeli hostages on its X (formerly Twitter) account at around 4:45pm (Singapore time) on Jan. 19.

The caption wrote: "We are waiting for each and every one of you."

❤️🎗️

We are waiting for each and every one of you. pic.twitter.com/hys5TbvqU8

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) January 19, 2025

Palestinians preparing to go back to certain areas, Israel National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir resigns

According to Al-Jazeera, Palestinians in Khan Younis are preparing to return to previously prohibited areas, such as Jabalia and Rafah.

However, local authorities are still blocking access to designated red zones where Israeli forces are still present.

Ben-Gvir, an Israeli minister and a member the far-right Jewish Power Party, submitted his resignation to Netanyahu in protest of the ceasefire deal.

The party left Netanyahu's coalition government following the announcement of the ceasefire.

Ben-Gvir said that said he would not try to overthrow the government, but described the truce as a "complete victory for terrorism".

Top photo via UNRWA/Facebook