A timeline of the fragile Gaza ceasefire
The announcement on 15 January that a ceasefire deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza was met with jubilation and sighs of relief in the region.
After 15 months of brutal violence that saw over 48,200 Palestinians killed, millions displaced and the Gaza Strip reduced to rubble, the plan for a halt to the destruction and the beginning of the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian detainees on 19 January seemed to augur some hope for calm.
But since the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president and his declared plan to "clean out" two million Palestinians from Gaza, alongside accusations by Hamas that Israel has failed to stick to the terms of the agreement, the ceasefire is now in doubt.
With Trump warning of dire consequences without the release of the remaining Israeli captives by noon on Saturday, Middle East Eye takes a look at how we got here:
15 January
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On 15 January, a three-phase ceasefire deal was announced by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha.
It came following months of negotiations between Hamas and Israel, involving mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the US, and was set to see the release of captives, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the return of Palestinians to their homes in the mostly destroyed northern Gaza.
Across the enclave, the announcement was greeted with public demonstrations of joy, while the families of captive Israelis and Palestinians held by Israel also welcomed the news.
The next four days, however, would see Israel continuing to bombard Gaza, seemingly trying to inflict as much damage as possible before the ceasefire began.
19 January
The first day of the ceasefire got off to a shaky start - originally slated to begin at 8:30am, Israel delayed it for three hours claiming Hamas had refused to deliver a list of those it intended to release.
At least 19 Palestinians were killed during this period. Hamas said “technical field issues” were behind its delay in providing the list, later adding there were “errors” in the names.
Eventually, the day saw the release of three Israeli women - Doron Steinbrecher, Emily Damari and Romi Gonen - who had been held in Gaza since 7 October 2023, as well as 90 Palestinian detainees.
25 January
Four female Israeli army captives were released by Hamas on 25 January, along with 200 Palestinians detainees.
Dressed in military-style clothes, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag were escorted onto a podium in Gaza City, where they stood before a large crowd of Palestinians and dozens of armed Hamas fighters.
The captives waved and smiled before being led away and transported in Red Cross vehicles into Israel, scenes that provoked anger from some in the country.
30 January
Five Thai workers - Ponsak Thenna, Suwannakham Sathian, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Rumnao - were released from Gaza on 30 January alongside Israelis Agam Berger, Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Moses.
The release of the five Thai nationals, who had been held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was unexpected as it was not part of the deal struck between Hamas and Israel for the first phase of the truce agreement and they had been expected to be freed in the later phases.
1 February
On 1 February, three Israeli captives - Keith Siegel, Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas - were released in two separate locations in Gaza City and Khan Younis.
The captives were taken away in Red Cross cars for medical checks.
4 February
Progress in the ceasefire deal were thrown into doubt following a press conference featuring both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which the US president suggested his country would "take over" the Gaza Strip.
“Everybody I've spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent,” Trump told reporters after a three-hour meeting with Netanyahu.
Earlier in the day he insisted that Palestinians had no other alternative but to leave Gaza and go somewhere “good, fresh, beautiful” without the prospect of returning, calling on Jordan and Egypt to take in the forcibly expelled Palestinians, along with other unnamed countries.
Hamas denounced Trump's surprise plans for Gaza, calling it "racist" and focused at eliminating the Palestinian cause.
At the same conference, Trump said he was unsure whether the ceasefire would hold and said it was unlikely they would reach stage two of the process.
8 February
Hamas released three Israeli captives from Gaza on 8 February, while Israel said it freed 183 Palestinian detainees from several prisons across the country.
The freed Israelis were named as Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami.
Israeli forces raided the homes of several Palestinian detainees being released, the Palestinian Prisoners Media Office said. The raids took place across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Seven of the released Palestinians were taken to hospital due to their poor health after months or years in detention. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said some of them were in a serious condition.
10 February
Hamas said on 10 February it would delay the release of the next tranche of Israeli captives "until further notice", accusing Israel of failing to comply with the terms of the ceasefire deal, including restricting aid and attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.
Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas's armed wing the Qassam Brigades, said it would be "postponed until further notice, pending the occupation's compliance and retroactive fulfillment of the past weeks' obligations.
"We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation adheres to them," he added.
Abu Obaida said the delay would continue until Israel halted its attacks on Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza and allowed aid into the enclave at previously-agreed-to levels.
That same day, Trump threatened to cancel the ceasefire if Israeli captives were not released, telling reporters that "all hell is going to break out" if they are not returned.
11 February
Netanyahu issued an ultimatum on 11 February, warning the Gaza ceasefire would be cancelled and "intense fighting" would resume if Hamas did not release captives by noon on Saturday.
“The military will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” he said in a video statement after a four-hour cabinet meeting.
“Last night, I ordered the IDF to assemble forces inside and around the Gaza Strip.”
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