STORY: ::January 19, 2025

::An Israeli strike hits Gaza about half an hour before a delayed ceasefire takes effect

::Initial reports from residents say no new fighting or strikes have been heard since

Residents and a medical worker in Gaza said that they had heard no new fighting or military strikes since about half an hour before it was finally implemented.

Israeli airstrikes and artillery attacks killed 13 Palestinians between 0630 GMT, when the ceasefire was meant to begin, and 0915 GMT, when it actually took effect, Palestinian medics said.

Israel blamed Hamas for the delay, saying the Palestinian militant group had failed to provide a list naming the first three hostages to be released under the deal.

Hamas attributed the delay to "technical" reasons, without specifying what those were.

A Palestinian official familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the delay occurred because mediators had asked for 48 hours of "calm" before the ceasefire's implementation, but continued Israeli strikes right up until the deadline had made it difficult to send the list.

Hamas later named the three Israeli female hostages to be freed in Gaza on Sunday as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, according to a statement by the Palestinian militant group.