Ceasefire delayed Israel says, after Hamas fails to release hostages' names

The Israeli military said on Sunday morning it “continues to attack” inside the Gaza Strip as a dispute with Hamas delayed the start of a planned ceasefire.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the military’s chief spokesman, said the truce would not begin until Hamas hands over the names of three hostages to be released later on Sunday, echoing an earlier statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The truce had been set to go into effect at 8:30 a.m. local time.

Netanyahu said he had instructed the military that the ceasefire “will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide.” He had issued a similar warning the night before.

The ceasefire was set to pause the fighting after 15 months of war and see the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants in the Gaza Strip and hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Also on Sunday, Israel said its forces had recovered and returned the body of a soldier killed in the 2014 Israel-Hamas war, whose remains were held by the Palestinian militant group in Gaza.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said a complicated operation involving elite commando forces returned the body of Oron Shaul overnight on Saturday.

Shaul, 21 at the time of his death, was killed in battle in the war a decade ago. His body was snatched by Hamas and held since.

Hamas still holds the body of another soldier killed during that war, Hadar Goldin.

Both of the soldiers’ families had staged a public campaign to have the bodies returned.

The bodies were expected to be returned as part of a fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas in exchange for the hostages and bodies it holds.

Israel's Cabinet approved the deal early on Saturday after it