Qatar said a peace agreement between Hamas and Israel is expected to take effect this Sunday morning January 19, 2025, at 8:30 a.m.
The move was announced on X by the country’s foreign minister, Majid al-Ansari, saying people should watch out and follow official instructions when it happens.
The new ceasefire comes a day after Israel’s Cabinet approved an agreement to put the 15-month war against Hamas on pause and start to free dozens of hostages.
This deal brings the two sides one step closer to ending the deadliest phase of this ongoing conflict. Even as leaders announced the latest truce, sirens were sounded in central Israel on Saturday as the military intercepted projectiles launched from Yemen. Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza, killing 23 people, according to Palestinian health officials.
Under the ceasefire plan, 33 hostages will be released in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. The exchange is set to begin Sunday at 4 p.m. local time.
The first phase of the release will include women and children under 19 from Gaza, and certain Palestinian prisoners will be exiled either to Gaza or abroad.
Israeli forces will also pull back a kilometer into Gaza to create a buffer zone that will allow the displaced Palestinians to return to their homes and will allow the humanitarian aid to be distributed.
However, uncertainties remain over the full details of the hostages to be released and the scope of the ceasefire agreement.
