A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip will take effect at 06:30 GMT on Sunday morning, Qatar, which helped mediate the deal along with the US, said on Saturday.
"As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30 am on Sunday, January 19, local time in Gaza," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on X.
"We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official sources."
The exact time of the ceasefire's start had been unclear, though Israel, whose cabinet earlier on Saturday approved the hostage and prisoner exchange deal, had said no prisoners would be freed before 14:00 GMT.
The ceasefire agreement provides for an initial six-week phase involving the release of 33 hostages held in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
In exchange, Israel will release 737 Palestinian prisoners, according to the Israeli Ministry of Justice, which specified that their release would not take place before 4:00 P.M. Sunday (2:00 P.M. GMT).
With AFP
Comments