British hostage will be among first released by Hamas today in Gaza ceasefire deal

Hamas has handed over a list of hostages due to be released after a ceasefire with Israel was delayed by two hours.

Among them is British citizen Emily Damari, 28, who will be released along with Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbreche, 31, in return for Palestinian prisoners.

The swap was supposed to kick off a 42-day ceasefire from 8.30am local time after 15-months of war destroyed much of Gaza and left thousands of Palestinians dead. It started instead at 11.15am local time.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised to continue fighting until Hamas handed over their names, and those of 30 others due to be released in the coming weeks.

Nearly two hours after the ceasefire was due to start at 8.30am, Israel confirmed it had received the list of hostages.

By then, around 13 people had been killed and 30 were injured in Israeli bombings on Sunday, Sky News reported.

Hamas blamed the delay on ‘technical field reasons’ and said it was sticking to the ceasefire agreed this week.

The youngest on the list is Kfir Bibas, aged nine months, while the oldest is Shlomo Mantzur, 86.

They had been kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and its allies massacred 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Roughly 100 remain in Gaza, although a third are believed to be dead.

Adam Rose, a lawyer representing Emily Damari’s family, who have ‘not had any independent verification’, said: ‘Their daughter, their only daughter, now 28, was taken from her home on October 7 2023.

‘She was injured in the process, and their world’s just been turned upside down while they’re waiting to find out what’s happened to their daughter.’

Mr Rose has told them to ‘prepare for the worst’, saying: ‘Until somebody is in your arms and being hugged and they’re alive and well, you have to assume that nothing is happening.’

A military campaign launched in response turned much of Gaza into rubble, displaced 90% of the population, and killed 46,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Sunday morning was supposed to be a reprieve after 15 months of Israeli bombardments.

Palestinians flooded the streets to celebrate after a deal to pause the violence was agreed by Israel and Hamas on Friday.

Even last night, they were starting to return to homes 90% of the population has been displaced from.

But the ceasefire in Gaza was cast into doubt after Israel said it would keep on fighting until Hamas hands over a list of hostages to be released.

Hamas was due to release three three hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Israel would free Palestinian prisoners in returns.

The bombing would stop, and for 42 days there would be peace and negotiations.

But the 8.30am start time came and went while fighting continued.

An hour before, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had told military the ceasefire ‘will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide’.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the military’s chief spokesman army ‘continues to attack, even now, inside the Gaza arena’ and would continue to do so until a list his delivered as agreed.

The ceasefire started at 11.15am after the list was delivered.

Hamas blamed the delay on ‘technical field reasons’ and says it is committed to the ceasefire deal.

The agreement had reportedly been on the table since December 2023, prompting Qatar’s Prime Minister, who mediated the deal, to describe it as ’13-months of a waste of negotiating the details that has no meaning and is not worth a single life that we lost in Gaza or a single life of the hostages lost because of the bombing’.

Pushing through the ceasefire has come at a political cost for Netanyahu, who has lost the support of some far-right members of his coalition.

National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir quit along with two other ministers from his nationalist-religious party on Sunday morning.

In a statement, they said: ‘The reckless approval of an agreement with the Hamas terror organization, which includes releasing hundreds of murderers with the blood of men, women, and children on their hands—some to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria—represents a disgraceful surrender.’

They added: ‘We will not return to the government table without a complete victory against Hamas and the full realization of the war’s goals.’

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