Gaza ceasefire to begin Sunday morning, after Israeli approval

A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin Sunday morning at 0630 GMT, mediator Qatar said on Saturday after Israel’s cabinet voted to approve the truce and hostage-prisoner release deal.

The exact time of the ceasefire’s start had been unclear, though Israel had said no Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would be freed before late Sunday afternoon.

Qatar and the United States, which mediated the deal along with Egypt, had announced it on Wednesday and said it would take effect Sunday.

Following that announcement, Israeli bombardment of the territory killed at least 113 people, Gaza’s civil defense rescue agency said on Friday, after Israel’s military reported hitting about 50 targets in 24 hours.

On Saturday, AFP photos showed Palestinians in the southern city of Khan Younis mourning four members of a family killed in another Israeli strike.

Explosions were heard over Jerusalem Saturday morning after warning sirens blared and the military said a projectile had been launched from Yemen, whose Iran-backed rebels say they support the Palestinians.

“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.”

In more than 15 months of war between Hamas Palestinian militants and Israel, there has been only one previous truce, for one week, in November 2023. That deal also saw the release of hostages held by the militants in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

“The government has approved the hostage return plan,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Saturday after the cabinet held its vote.

Netanyahu’s office said the deal “supports achieving the objectives of the war.”

Israel’s justice ministry said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be freed as part of the first phase of the deal - none before 4:00 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Sunday.