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The long-awaited ceasefire comes into effect, ending a devastating 15-month war in the Palestinian enclave.
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip came into effect after nearly three hours of delay, ending a devastating 15-month war in the Palestinian enclave.
The ceasefire came into effect at 11:15 a.m. local time (09:15 GMT) on Sunday after Hamas handed Israel a list of three female captives to be released as part of the deal.
The deal calls for a pause in fighting and the release of three Israeli captives and about 95 Palestinian prisoners on the first day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the release of the three captives would take place after 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Sunday. He also said four more living captives would be released in seven days.
A spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas had begun.
“We confirm that the names of the three captives who will be released today have been transmitted to the Israeli side. They are three Israeli citizens, one with Romanian nationality and the other with British nationality. Thus, the ceasefire has begun,” Majed al-Ansari said in a statement.
Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, were the three mediators in the ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
Earlier, Israel blamed Hamas for the delay, after the Palestinian group failed to provide a list naming the first three prisoners to be released under the deal. Hamas attributed this delay to “technical” reasons, without specifying which ones.
Two hours after the 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) deadline, Hamas said it had sent the list of names, and Israeli officials confirmed receipt. Hamas named the prisoners it was to release on Sunday as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said Palestinians were now trying to return home to try to rebuild their lives. She said thousands of Palestinians will be able to travel to areas where they were not previously allowed, including Jabalia and Rafah in northern and southern Gaza, respectively.
“Since this morning, people here have been waiting for the ceasefire to come into effect and for them to start moving towards Rafah. We also saw a lot of people gathering their bags…preparing to go back,” she said.
“But these people also know that most of their homes aren’t even there. Most of their houses are no longer standing. However, most Palestinians say they will pitch their tents on the rubble. They miss their neighborhood… or what’s left of it.
“We deserve life”
A displaced Palestinian woman from northern Gaza told Tel Aviv Tribune she was “extremely happy about this because we deserve life.”
“We saw people being torn apart, so this ceasefire agreement is good news, and we have to thank everyone who played a role in this and who helped us end this war” , she said.
The government media office in Gaza said thousands of Palestinian police officers were deployed to the territory “as part of a government plan to maintain security and order in the various governorates,” adding that municipalities began to “reopen and rehabilitate the streets”.
“Government ministries and institutions are fully prepared to begin operations in accordance with the government plan to ensure the rapid and gradual return to normal life,” he said in a statement, adding that the return of forcibly displaced people would start next week.
Before the ceasefire took effect, the Israeli army continued its genocide in Gaza, killing at least 19 Palestinians and injuring 36, Gaza Civil Defense said.
In the 15 months since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and injured 110,725 in the deadliest conflict of the 21st century.
At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel in attacks carried out by Hamas that day and more than 200 were captured.
Israeli leader Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over allegations of war crimes and separate charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
