Gaza Ceasefire to Begin on Sunday, After Israeli Government's Approval

A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. (local time), mediator Qatar said on Saturday after Israel's Cabinet voted to approve the truce and hostage-prisoner release deal.

- Agence France-Presse

JERUSALEM:

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 on 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 on 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 a.m. 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."