The cease-fire between Hamas and Israel is expected to go into effect on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. local time, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry.
Qatar’s foreign minister Majid al-Ansari urged people to exercise caution when the cease-fire goes into effect and to wait for instructions from officials. This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war.
Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal early Saturday morning for a cease-fire in Gaza that would include the release of dozens of hostages and pause the war with Hamas that began after the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State.
The deal would allow 33 hostages to be set free over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The remaining hostages are set to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE HOSTAGES AND CEASE-FIRE DEAL BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS SET TO BEGIN SUNDAY
A girl pauses at a mural of female Israeli soldiers held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. Hebrew reads: “look them in the eyes.” (AP)
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without a lasting cease-fire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
But questions still remain about the cease-fire, including the identities of the 33 hostages who are set to be released during the first, six-week phase and which of them are still alive.
Hamas agreed to release three female hostages on the first day of the deal, four on Day seven and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.
Israel’s justice ministry released a list of more than 700 Palestinian detainees who are set to be freed in the deal’s first phase. The justice ministry said the release would not begin before 4 p.m. local time Sunday.
Muslim women display a poster as they ride motorcycles during a rally celebrating the announcement of the cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP)
This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war.
Israeli forces also announced Saturday morning that its Air Force had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, just ahead of the expected cease-fire.
Gaza is expected to receive a surge in humanitarian aid. Trucks carrying aid were seen Friday lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza.
ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL REACHED: ‘AMERICANS WILL BE PART OF THAT’
People gather to celebrate a long-awaited cease-fire that would pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025 in Paris. (AP)
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The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which roughly 1,200 people wer killed and about 250 others were abducted, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.
More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s offensive, according to the Hamas-run government’s local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and terrorists.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.