Image source, EPA

In less than 12 hours, the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel is expected to come into effect.

But less than a day before it was set to begin, the Israeli prime minister had already begun warning that the first phase of the truce would be "unable to move forward" if Hamas didn't provide a list of the hostages who will be released, "as was agreed".

Those names, as of now, have yet to be released.

Those warnings continued late into the evening on Saturday, as Netanyahu later said in a televised address that Israel retains the right to resume the war in Gaza should negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire deal prove futile.

"If we need to resume fighting, we will do that in new ways and we will do it with great force," the prime minister said.

Sunday should see the return of the first three Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Later on, Hamas is supposed to release an additional 33 hostages and, in exchange, Israel will release 1,890 Palestinians from jails.

We're going to be pausing our coverage, but will be back here tomorrow morning to bring you all the latest on the ceasefire - expected to begin at 06:30 local time (08:30 GMT). Thank you for joining us.

More: Netanyahu issues warning ahead of Gaza ceasefire

Schools in Israel that are close to the border with Gaza will have a delayed start time tomorrow, amid concerns there could be an increased risk of rocket fire, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says.

Classes on Sunday - the day that the school week begins in Israel - for those in the affected areas will instead start at 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT), which is about 1.5 hours after the first phase of the ceasefire is supposed to take effect.

In a statement posted on the IDF's X account, it says local authorities requested the delay "in order to allow the start of classes with a greater sense of security".

Students in the rest of the country will attend school at the usual start time, the statement adds.

Image source, EPA

Donald Trump has said that his administration will make sure the ceasefire deal agreed to between Israel and Hamas will hold through "good government".

Just two days before returning to the White House, the president-elect shared his position on the Middle East truce deal with NBC News in an exclusive interview with Kristen Welker on Saturday.

The incoming president was also asked about how confident he is that the hostages would be released as part of the deal, to which he says: “Well, we’re going to see very soon, and it better hold.”

On Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Trump says he'll be meeting with "fairly shortly", the president-elect tells NBC News that he's already informed his Israeli counterpart to "just keep doing what you have to do".

"You have to have — this has to end. We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done.”

Image source, Reuters

We can now bring you some voices from that massive demonstration taking place in Tel Aviv tonight.

Barak Reicher, an immunologist, is among the thousands of attendees gathering in the city centre.

He says he believes most Israelis - "more than 90%" - want to see all of the remaining hostages being held in Gaza returned home and also want to see the war end.

"We want to get back to be a normal country again," Reicher tells Reuters news agency.

Gal Alkalay, an assistant with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, shares her frustration with how long it took to get the current deal on the table.

“We could have saved lives of 200 soldiers and more than 10 hostages," she tells Reuters, adding that she thinks that because the government "couldn't take a decision and waited for Trump" more people died unnecessarily.

She says she hopes now that there's a deal in place, people can "go back to our lives".

Netanyahu 'at odds' with Biden as he calls ceasefire 'temporary'published at 21:05 Greenwich Mean Time 18 January

21:05 GMT 18 January

Jonah Fisher
Reporting from northern Israel

On the eve of the ceasefire there was no talk of lasting peace from Israel’s prime minister. Instead the message was very clear – Israel is ready to go back to war if needed and has the backing of its most important ally, the United States, to do so.

In part the tough messaging is due to the precarious nature of Netanyahu’s government. The far right ultra nationalist parties that he relies on hate the deal – and want him to promise to return to war in six weeks time when the 33 hostages have been released.

That’s why the language used in the address was about the ceasefire being “temporary” and that that assets remained in place to return to war.

Perhaps the key phrase to reassure his far right coalition partners was this:

That’s somewhat at odds with President Biden’s comments earlier in the week that, if an agreement could not be reached on the second phase, the ceasefire would remain in place.

Netanyahu is clearly walking a political tightrope – public opinion in Israel is tired of war and in favour of a deal that gets the hostages home. Internationally, incoming US President Donald Trump has already claimed the credit for getting the hostages released.

Unless he can credibly blame Hamas for it falling apart – it’s very hard for Netanyahu to turn back now.

Some aspects of Netanyahu’s speech also appeared at odds with parts of the treaty that have been published.

In his address, he said Israel would retain full control over the Philadelphi Corridor – the strip of land between Egypt and south Gaza – which is seen as a supply route for weapons reaching Hamas.

But the appendix to the treaty that has been widely published in the Israeli media is clear that if all goes to plan Israel will pull out as it states that, if all the 33 hostages are released by the end of Phase 1, “Israeli forces will begin their withdrawal and complete it no later than day 50”.

Thousands of demonstrators have been gathering in Tel Aviv over the past few hours to demand the Netanyahu government ensures the release of further hostages by abiding by the first phase of the ceasefire.

As a reminder, the first stage is due to come into effect tomorrow at 08:30 local time (06:30 GMT).

Here's a look at how the scene looked in Tel Aviv a short while ago:

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Lucy Manning
Special correspondent

The family of British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari is waiting to hear if she will be amongst the first hostages to be released.

Emily, 28, was dragged out from her home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on 7 October by Hamas gunmen. The Tottenham Hotspur fan was shot in the hand and leg and her dog Choocha shot and killed.

As a female civilian hostage taken from her home, her family hope she will soon be freed - but they still don’t know if she is alive. The families are finding this period waiting for the names “horrific".

Tonight, as the hostages’ families still wait to hear who the first released hostages will be, her mother Mandy Damari, originally from Kent, joined hundreds of others at a rally in Southern Israel to call for the release of all of them. She held a poster of her daughter.

She hopes she will soon be able to hold her for the first time in more than 470 days.

Last month she told the BBC of her fears for Emily: “She could be starving or dehydrated or suffering from asthma because you can't breathe in the tunnels.

"If she's alone, even if no one touches her, she's still suffering mental and physical torture all the time, just by the fact that she's in a terrible terror tunnel, and I worry every day, I worry every second.”

Our TV colleagues have been looking at the some of the people who are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, and who could potentially be among those released on Sunday.

Some 33 hostages are due to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire, which lasts six weeks. A list of names of the 33 has been published on a number of Israeli media sites - but has not yet been confirmed.

According to BBC Verify, 94 of the 251 hostages taken on 7 October 2023 are still held in Gaza - 60 are assumed to be living and 34 dead.

Some 109 hostages have already been released through negotiations, either on humanitarian grounds or during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023.

Eight hostages have been rescued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The remains of 40 hostages have been recovered from Gaza by the IDF. This includes three hostages accidentally killed by the IDF on 15 December 2023.

The first phase of the ceasefire is expected to be implemented tomorrow - although Israel warned the truce won't go ahead until Hamas releases a list with the names of the first three hostages due to be released.

Talks about the terms of the second phase of the ceasefire are set to start on Day 16 of the first phase and will focus on achieving "a permanent end to the war".

Details of the second phase are still uncertain but the expectation is that remaining living hostages, including men, would be freed at this stage as more Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli prisons are released.

There would also be a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

• More: What we know about the Gaza ceasefire so far

If you're just joining us or you're in need of a catch up, here's the latest from the last few hours.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given a statement with less than 12 hours to go before the ceasefire begins tomorrow
• In it, he said Israel reserves the right to resume the war"if needed" should further negotiations collapse
• He also spoke about the 33 hostages "coming home" as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal - and thanked US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump
• Before the speech, Netanyahu also warned that Israel will "not move forward" with the deal until it gets the names of the first three hostages due for release tomorrow
• Mediator Egypt issued a statement earlier today saying 1,890 Palestinian prisoners will be released in the ceasefire's first phase, in exchange for the 33 Israeli hostages - that number has been unclear

Closing his remarks, Netanyahu outlines the military campaign over the last 15 months - including the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas.

"We changed the face of the Middle East," Netanyahu says. As a result of that, he adds, Hamas is now "completely alone" on that front.

Netanyahu adds that in the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, they were able to get Hamas to agree on conditions that they had not agreed to in the past.

He then thanks the country for their support throughout the last 15 months of war.

Israeli Prime Minister continues his national address saying how proud he is to be the leader of the country overseeing this historic ceasefire deal.

In his first public speech since the agreement was reached, Netanyahu also describes the first phase of the ceasefire - which is due to come into effect tomorrow - as "temporary".

US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have fully backed the objective of the war, Netanyahu says. They will now truly appreciate what we're doing, he adds.

He goes on to say that Trump will ensure that Israel has all the weapons and ammunition that we need as he insists Israel is "reserving the right" to resume fighting if needed.

Benjamin Netanyahu is now addressing his country for the first time since the ceasefire was agreed by his government.

He says 33 "brothers and sisters will be coming home" - most of them still alive, because of "our [Israel's] steadfast stand".

Netanyahu also says the ceasefire deal was achieved thanks to the help of US president Joe Biden, and President-elect Donald Trump.

Image source, Getty Images

We're just hearing that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to issue a statement at 20:10 (18:10 GMT) - just over 12 hours before the ceasefire is due to come into force.

In the last half hour, Netanyahu said Israel was still waiting for the names of the first three hostages expected to be released tomorrow - warning the truce would not proceed until he had the list.

We'll bring you what he says and you can follow along the latest updates by clicking Watch Live at the top of the page.

Joel Gunter
Reporting from Jerusalem

Israeli authorities say they still haven’t received the names of three hostages due to be released tomorrow morning by Hamas, with just a little over 12 hours to go before the ceasefire is meant to come into effect.

According to the ceasefire agreement, the names should be provided at least 24 hours ahead of the handover time, which would have been by 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

And the location at which the hostages will be handed over is also unclear. A senior IDF official said three separate reception points had been prepared near the border in northern, central, and southern Gaza.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Saturday evening that Israel would be "unable to move forward with the framework until we receive the list” of names.

“Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement. Hamas is solely responsible,” he added.

Extensive planning has gone into the reception of the hostages, who are expected to be handed over from Hamas to the Red Cross, and then on to the IDF.

They will be seen by IDF doctors and psychologists, before being transferred to hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families and receive further medical attention.

After Israel's justice ministry published a list of some of the prisoners to be released, families in Gaza have been checking the names to see if their relatives are included.

Other families who are confident their relatives are among those to be freed have been making preparations for their return.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel "will be unable to move forward with the framework until we receive the list of the hostages who will be released, as was agreed".

"Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement," he adds. Hamas is solely responsible."

The first three Israeli hostages are due to be released on Sunday. Earlier Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported, external that Israel was expecting to receive the names of the three later today.

A longer list of the 33 hostages apparently due to be freed has already been published by Israeli media but not confirmed.

Jon Donnison
Reporting from Jerusalem

One of the most high-profile Palestinian prisoners slated to be released from Israeli jail in this first phase of the deal is Zakaria Zubeidi.

The 49-year-old, who grew up in a refugee camp, is the former leader of the militant group the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in the West Bank city of Jenin.

He has been jailed for multiple offensives including intentionally causing death, attempted murder and planting explosives.

Zubeida claimed responsibility for a gun attack in 2002 in Beit She'an in which six Israelis were killed. He has also been jailed at times by the Palestinian Authority.

Zubeida was in the news again in 2021 when he was one of six Palestinian prisoners who escaped from an Israeli jail by tunnelling out before eventually being recaptured five days later.

For many Palestinians he is a hero of the resistance against Israel’s military occupation. He is also known for setting up the Freedom Theatre and Cinema in Jenin.

We just reported Egypt, a key mediator in the ceasefire talks, announcing that Israel will release 1,890 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the 33 Israeli hostages Hamas agreed to free in the first phase of the deal.

Here's what we know - and don't - so far:

• The number has been unclear for days - earlier, Israel's justice ministry released a list of more than 734 prisoners and detainees, external it planned to release and before that there were reports saying it was 737. Now we're told it's 1,890 - although this could include detainees not held by Israel's justice system, for example Gazans detained by the IDF
• We don't know detail as to what order the prisoners will be released in, or how many at a time
• And while we know 33 Israeli hostages are being freed in exchange for the prisoners, it's not known what the ratio is (how many Israelis for how many Palestinians). In the previous temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, in November 2023, 240 prisoners were released by Israel in exchange for 105 hostages - it's unclear what will happen this time, but the Times of Israel has published an apparent text of the deal, external which suggests it varies depending on the ages and health of the hostages

As a reminder: In the second stage of the ceasefire (if it goes ahead - negotiations aren't due to start until 16 days into stage one), more prisoners would be released in return for the remaining living hostages. There's more on the deal here if you want to read it.

Update 28/1/2025: This post was amended to correct the numbers of prisoners and hostages released in November 2023

Egypt's foreign ministry has issued a statement saying 1,890 Palestinian prisoners, external will be released in the first stage of the ceasefire, in exchange for the return of 33 Israeli hostages captured by Hamas.

This will happen in the first phase of the ceasefire deal, which will last six weeks.

The north African country which borders Gaza has had a significant role in mediating between Israel and Hamas and reiterated its commitment to the implementation of a ceasefire deal.