Cairo: The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will go into effect Sunday at 8.30 am local time (0630 GMT), mediator Qatar announced Saturday, as families of hostages held in Gaza braced for news of loved ones, Palestinians prepared to receive freed detainees and humanitarian groups rushed to set up a surge of aid.
In his X post, Foreign Minister Majid al-Ansari gave out the time and asked people to be careful and follow what officials say.
The Israel Cabinet Saturday approved the ceasefire deal. The plan is to help let hostages go and to put a hold on the fight with Hamas, which has lasted for nearly 15 months.
Even with the news, worry was still high as warning sounds went off in central Israel. The army stopped rockets that came from Yemen.
The Houthis, backed by Iran, have upped their missile hits in the last few weeks. They say these attacks are to push Israel and the West, because of the war in Gaza.
In the first part of the truce, Hamas will let go of 33 hostages over six weeks. In return, Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a source said.
Israel’s justice group has put out a list of over 700 people – mostly women and kids – who will get out in the first part. This will start no sooner than Sunday 4pm.
The deal says that on day one, three women hostages will be set free. Then, four more on the seventh day, and the last 26 in the next five weeks.
Israeli troops will pull back to a small zone, about one kilometre wide, by Gaza’s edge. This idea will let many Palestinians go back to their own homes in places like Gaza City and northern Gaza, even with a lot of ruin from the fight.
Help is set to rush into Gaza, and trucks are now set at the Rafah border spot. Egyptian leaders, with two bosses who got to the Sinai area, are in charge of getting aid in and moving hurt people out.
The fight started on October 7, 2023. Hamas hit across the border, causing the death of about 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 people.
After that, Israel’s big military strike has taken the lives of over 46,000 Palestinians. Local doctors say more than half were women and kids.
Now, many in Gaza are without homes and live in very bad spots.
The ceasefire gives us a short break, but big issues are still there. Hamas has said it won’t let go of the last hostages, men who are soldiers, unless there’s a full stop to the fight and Israel pulls back fully.
Talks for the next part of the agreement should happen in the first six weeks of peace.
PNN & Agencies
