It took more than a year to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza, and as the final minutes ticked down before it was scheduled to go into effect on Sunday morning, the truce was still clouded by doubt.
Under the terms of the deal reached last week, Hamas was to have supplied the Israeli government with the names of three hostages it would release. But by 8:30 a.m. local time, or 1:30 a.m. Eastern, the moment the cease-fire was set to begin, Israel said those names had still not formally been delivered.
Hamas said the delay was because of technical reasons, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office instructed the Israeli military not to proceed with preparations for starting the cease-fire until the names had been received.
The Israeli military also warned people in Gaza not to approach parts of the enclave where Israeli troops remained stationed.
While the delay unfolded, Israel’s strikes on Gaza continued. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for the Israeli military, delivered a televised statement at 8:30 a.m., saying the military would continue attacking in Gaza as long as the cease-fire had not come into effect. A spokesman for the Israeli military, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that it had struck targets in Gaza after the proposed start time for the truce.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defense, an emergency service organization in Gaza, said in a statement around an hour later that Israeli bombardments were still occurring in several areas. He would eventually say that Israeli attacks had killed at least 19 people and injured more than three dozen others across Gaza during the delay, a figure that could not be independently verified.
At Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, people heard the sounds of Israeli drones, strikes and artillery shelling, said Ghada al-Kurd, 37. “The situation is still dangerous,” she said in a voice message.
Then, at about 10:30 a.m. local time, Hamas announced the names of the three Israeli hostages it would release on Sunday. Mr. Netanyahu’s office soon confirmed that information and said the cease-fire would come into effect at 11:15 a.m. local time — nearly three hours later than planned.
