JERUSALEM - A long-anticipated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was scheduled to take effect on Sunday morning, but Israel announced it would not engage in the ceasefire, citing Hamas's failure to provide a list of the first three hostages set to be released later in the day.
The announcement came at 8:30 am local time (0630 GMT), when the agreement, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, was set to go into effect.
"As of this morning, Hamas has not fulfilled its commitment, and, contrary to the agreement, the names of the hostages scheduled for release have not been provided to Israel," Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a live broadcast.
He added that, under instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "the ceasefire will not take effect as long as Hamas fails to meet its obligations."
Hagari said the Israel Defense Forces were continuing its operations in Gaza and would maintain the strikes "as long as Hamas does not adhere to the agreement."
Earlier on Sunday, Hamas issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to the deal, claiming the delay in delivering the names of the first three hostages was "due to technical reasons and reasons on the ground."
Israeli strikes in Gaza continued overnight and into Sunday morning. Since the ceasefire was announced on Wednesday, at least 115 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks, according to Gaza health authorities.
