Occupation forces attack Gaza amid delayed ceasefire implementation
GAZA – The Zionist occupation’s strikes have resulted in at least eight Palestinian martyrs and 25 injured across the Gaza Strip on Sunday as ceasefire implementation lags, according to Palestinian civil emergency service.
On the one hand, the occupation’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a ceasefire in Gaza will not begin until Hamas releases the names of the captives who will be freed in the first phase of a captives-and-prisoners exchange deal. On the other hand, the Palestinian group blamed “technical” reasons for the delay.
The truce was scheduled to take effect at 08:30 AM local time (06:30 GMT) today.
According to Hebrew media sources citing Zionist officials, the delay in providing the names of the captives does not signal the breakdown of the agreement.
On day one of the ceasefire, the deal calls for a pause in the fighting in Gaza, the release of three captives, and about 95 Palestinian prisoners.
The occupation forces will pull back from some of their positions in the Strip, and Palestinians displaced from areas in northern Gaza will be allowed to return.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s team worked with Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to push the deal over the line.
The Zionist occupation’s genocidal war on Gaza resulted in at least 46,899 Palestinian martyrs and 110,725 wounded since October 7, 2023.
