The Israeli army announced that it was carrying out a wave of airstrikes.
At least eight people were killed and 25 others were injured in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian Authority for Civil Protection spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said. A cease-fire was supposed to come into effect in Gaza on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. CET, but it did not start because Hamas did not hand over the list of hostages it plans to release as part of the cease-fire. Meanwhile, a Hamas official said the movement would hand over the list “any moment,” TASR reports, according to an AFP report.
Three people were killed in the Bassal field in the north of the Palestinian enclave, and another five died in attacks in Gaza City. The Israeli army claims to be carrying out a wave of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, writes The Times of Israel (TOI).
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday, less than an hour before the scheduled start of the cease-fire, that Hamas had not handed over the list of hostages, and therefore the cease-fire would not begin at the scheduled time. A spokesman for the Israeli army then declared that the army would continue its attacks in the Gaza Strip until Hamas fulfilled its obligation and handed over the list.
Hamas said it had not submitted the list due to “technical problems”. Meanwhile, it said it would soon submit the list. According to a movement official, “complexities” in the Gaza Strip and Israeli bombardment caused the delay. According to the ceasefire agreement, the names of the hostages should be announced by the parties at least 24 hours before the planned exchange. The first exchange is planned for Sunday at 16:00 local time (15:00 CET).
