World
Israel says cease-fire begins after 3-hour delay over list of hostage names
Israel confirmed late Sunday morning a long-awaited cease-fire has gone into effect after a three-hour delay caused by Hamas not releasing the names of the three hostages it plans to release.
The agreement was set to go into effect Sunday at 8:30 a.m. local time, but was delayed until 11:15 a.m. local time. Jerusalem is seven hours ahead of Eastern time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security situation assessment over the delay in receiving the list of hostages who are expected to be released Sunday morning as part of a cease-fire agreement with Hamas, which eventually provided the names.
Hamas said a couple of hours after the agreement was scheduled to go into effect that it would be releasing hostages Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Demari, 27, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, on Sunday. Israel confirmed it has received the names. The hostages are expected to be released later Sunday.
Earlier, Netanyahu told the Israeli Defense Forces that the cease-fire would not begin until Israel had the list of hostages expected to be freed. Since Hamas had not given the names of the hostages by the time the cease-fire was set to start, the IDF continued to operate, as it was still striking inside Gaza. At least eight Gazans have been killed in IDF strikes since the cease-fire was set to begin, according to a Hamas-run agency.
“As of this morning, Hamas has not fulfilled its obligation, and contrary to the agreement, has not provided the State of Israel with the names of the returning female hostages up to this time. The ceasefire will not come into effect as long as Hamas does not fulfill its obligations,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said earlier on Sunday.
WHAT TO EXPECT AS ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE GOES INTO EFFECT ON SUNDAY
Romi Gonen, Emily Demari, and Doron Steinbrecher. (Fox News)
Hamas had said the delay in providing the names was due to “technical field reasons” and added that it is committed to the cease-fire deal announced last week.
The terror group released a statement after the cease-fire began, pledging to the people of Gaza “to be the trustees of their rights and defenders of them, until the complete liberation of the land and the holy sites.”
“The whole world today must stand in reverence for the legendary steadfastness of our people in Gaza, and in appreciation of their patience and sacrifices over the course of 471 days,” Hamas said.
“With the entry into force of the ceasefire, we affirm our commitment to implementing the terms of the agreement, which is the fruit of the steadfastness and patience of our great people, and the legendary steadfastness of our valiant resistance in the face of the zionist machine of terrorism and killing,” the statement continued.
Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal early Saturday morning for a cease-fire in Gaza that would include the release of dozens of hostages and pause the war with Hamas that began after the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State.
The deal would allow 33 hostages to be set free over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The remaining hostages are set to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first.
“Our heroic prisoners have an appointment with freedom starting today, and this is our firm pledge with them always, until they break the shackles of the jailer and breathe freedom in the skies of Palestine,” Hamas said in its statement.
Hamas agreed to release three female hostages on the first day of the deal, four on the seventh day and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.
A girl pauses at a mural of female Israeli soldiers held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Hebrew reads: “look them in the eyes.” (AP)
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without a lasting cease-fire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war.
Gaza is expected to receive a surge in humanitarian aid when the cease-fire begins.
“We are monitoring the operations of bringing in aid and providing relief to our people with everything necessary, and we confirm that all efforts will be made to provide all the necessary support and assistance requirements to restore the cycle of life in the Gaza Strip to normal,” Hamas said in its statement.
ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES WILL RECEIVE HOSTAGES SUNDAY WITH EQUIPPED CAMPER TRAILERS AND COMFORTING SUPPLIES
A wall covered with photos of hostages held in the Gaza Strip after the deadly Oct 7 Hamas attack calling for the release of the hostages on January 17, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which roughly 1,200 people wer killed and about 250 others were abducted, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s offensive, according to the Hamas-run government’s local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists.
Iranians mourning the country’s supreme leader condemned U.S. strikes that Washington called retaliation for Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. At a tightly controlled state funeral in Mashhad — one of Iran’s most conservative cities, where opponents of the government were unlikely to be found in the crowd — mourners voiced defiance and called for revenge.
World
Beloved musicians among victims in deadly Bahamas plane crash; aviation authority grounds flights
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A devastating double-aviation crisis in the Bahamas, including a deadly North Andros plane crash and a separate aircraft fire on Friday, prompted the government to suspend flight operations for a local airline and launch a federal safety probe.
Shortly after 1 p.m. local time Friday, a Cessna 402 aircraft with Bahamian registration departed Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau bound for San Andros Airport.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said the plane “encountered difficulties” and crashed into bushes prior to landing.
MISSOURI SKYDIVING PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED ALL 12 ABOARD IS A ‘DEVASTATING LOSS,’ COMPANY SAYS
Authorities said 10 people were killed in a Bahamas plane crash on Friday. (Our News Bahamas via AP)
First responders, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Airport Authority and emergency medical personnel, rushed to the dense brush where the aircraft went down.
The Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union confirmed in a statement Saturday that 10 people died in the crash, including prominent members of the “The Pond Band” and a local DJ, whose artistry the union said “touched so many lives and helped to enrich the cultural fabric of The Bahamas.”
Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said a sole survivor was pulled from the wreckage.
“Ann and I are praying for the families who are now facing unbearable grief,” Davis wrote in a statement on X. “We are also praying for the survivor, whose recovery and care will remain in our thoughts.”
EIGHT BELIEVED DEAD AFTER B-52 CRASHES SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE
The identities of those killed in the crash have not yet been released.
While the AAIA’s preliminary reports initially indicated seven people were on board, officials are still establishing the facts of the flight manifest.
Just hours before the fatal crash in North Andros, a Flamingo Air flight en route to Mayaguana was forced to turn back to Nassau after the pilot reported a concern, according to the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation (MoET).
After the aircraft landed and passengers safely deplaned, the plane caught fire on the runway.
FORMER NFL QB ROBERT GRIFFIN III DESCRIBES HARROWING ENGINE FIRE ON UNITED FLIGHT
FILE – The Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate following two aircraft incidents Friday. (iStock)
Following the two back-to-back safety incidents, the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB) temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s Air Operator Certificate, according to MoET officials.
“The suspension is a precautionary safety measure and should not be treated as an adverse compliance action against Flamingo Air,” the agency wrote in a statement.
FILE – The plane crashed in North Andros on Friday after taking off from Lynden Pindling International Airport. (Melissa Alcena/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Investigators from the AAIA and inspectors from the CAAB remain at the scene in North Andros as they work to determine what caused the Cessna 402 tragedy.
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Flamingo Air did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Published on •Updated
Moldova’s pro-European President Maia Sandu nominated businessman Vasile Tofan on Saturday as the country’s next prime minister to replace Alexandru Munteanu, who resigned earlier this month over differences with the ruling majority.
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In a video posted to social media, Sandu said Tofan’s primary responsibility, after his candidacy is approved by the country’s parliament, would be to move the country further towards its path of “integration” into the European Union.
He should also “strengthen the resilience of state institutions and society”, and “revive the economy”, added Sandu.
The Moldovan businessman now has two weeks to secure parliamentary backing, a prospect he hopes to achieve after submitting his government programme and his ministerial cabinet nominations.
Tofan had been mentioned as a possible prime minister last year even before the appointment of Munteanu.
Igor Grosu, who heads Sandu’s Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) which won the last parliamentary elections in September, announced on Friday that he had selected him as his candidate to replace the outgoing premier.
He said Tofan shared “the same objectives” as him and PAS, specifying that “EU accession in the years to come, institutional reform and economic growth”, were among the biggest points of agreement.
The nominee for prime minister, who graduated Harvard Business School and turns 44 on Sunday, has a degree in public management from the Netherlands and is a managing partner at Horizon Capital, a private equity firm with assets primarily in Ukraine and Moldova.
He has also chaired the board of directors of Moldova’s Purcari winery, considered the crown jewel of the country’s winemaking sector.
Munteanu, another businessman who like Sandu previously worked at the World Bank, had been chosen to boost the economy and bring it closer to the EU, but turbulence with PAS saw him vacate his post less than a year into holding office.
He resigned on 3 July after less than eight months, stating that he could no longer carry out his mandate “according to (his) principles and (his) convictions”.
The EU last month officially launched a first round of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. Both countries became official EU candidate countries on 23 June 2022.
Additional sources • AFP
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