Live Update
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Hamas: ‘Technical reasons’ preventing release of names of hostages set to be freed today

Demonstrators call for a hostage-ceasefire deal outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, January 18, 2025 (Erik Marmor/Flash90)
Shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a statement that the ceasefire won’t begin until Israel receives the names of the three hostages slated to be released today, Hamas says the delay is due to “technical reasons.”
In a statement, the terror group says it “confirms its commitment to the terms of the ceasefire agreement.”
As per the terms of the deal, Hamas was required to provide the names of the hostages at least 24 hours ahead of their release — expected to be today at around 4:30 p.m.
The terror group has still had not confirmed which three of the 98 hostages are set to be released.