Faces of the 33 Hamas hostages set to be freed in first phase of Gaza ceasefire
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These are the faces of the Israeli hostages who have been held by Hamas in Gaza who are set to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Palestinians and relatives of hostages held in Gaza met news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas with tentative joy. The ceasefire will begin on Sunday morning having been agreed upon by officials in Israel and Gaza following 15 months of conflict.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the ceasefire would not go ahead unless Hamas released the names of the hostages, as had been agreed upon during negotiations. He said in a statement: "Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. Hamas is solely responsible.".
He has claimed to have the support of incoming President Donald Trump and claimed to have spoken with him on Wednesday. Hamas said it would not release the remaining hostages unless the ceasefire holds and Israel withdraws fully from Gaza. The conflict began when Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people near the Gaza-Israel border and also took an estimated 250 hostages back following the bloody raid. Israel retaliated, launching strikes into Gaza that Hamas said resulted in the deaths of more than 46,700 people, many of whom were civilians.
Under agreed terms, there are three phases to the ceasefire, each consisting of 42 days. The first phase, which begins on Sunday, will see 33 Israeli captives, of whom are children, women, the ill and men over 50, being freed. Israel will then release some 1,900 Palestinians, many of whom are women and children.
