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Israel still waiting for Hamas to make public list of hostages to be released — Netanyahu

According to the Ynet news portal, the list with the names of the first three hostages to be freed was to be handed over to Israel via Qatar by 4:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. GMT) but this has not been done until now

TEL AVIV, January 18. /TASS/. Hours before a ceasefire in Gaza is to come into effect, Israel has not yet received a list of hostages who are to be released by Hamas and this may hold up the agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"We will not move forward with the outline until we receive a list of the hostages to be freed, as agreed," Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. "Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. The sole responsibility lies with Hamas."

According to the Ynet news portal, the list with the names of the first three hostages to be freed was to be handed over to Israel via Qatar by 4:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. GMT) but this has not been done until now.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said late on January 15 that thanks to the mediatory efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held in the enclave.

The agreement will come into force early on Sunday, January 19. During the 42-day first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, Hamas will release 33 hostages, including civilian and military women, as well as children, the elderly and the wounded in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and detention centers.

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