Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas comes into force Israel-Palestine conflict news
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A long-awaited ceasefire has come into effect, pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Palestinian enclave.
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip came into effect after a delay of nearly three hours, ending a devastating 15 months of war in the Palestinian enclave.
The ceasefire came into effect at 11:15 am (09:15 GMT) on Sunday, after Hamas handed over to Israel a list of three female prisoners to be released as part of the deal.
The agreement provides for a suspension of fighting and the release of three Israeli prisoners and about 95 Palestinian prisoners on the first day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the three captives would be released after 4:00 pm (14:00 GMT) on Sunday. It also said four other living female captives would be released within seven days.
A spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry confirmed that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has begun.
“We confirm that the names of the three prisoners who will be released today have been handed over to the Israeli side. They are three Israeli citizens, one of whom has Romanian citizenship and the other has British citizenship. Therefore, the ceasefire has begun,” Majid Ansari said in a statement.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States are the three mediators in ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel.
Israel earlier accused Hamas of delaying the operation after the Palestinian group failed to provide a list of the first three prisoners to be released under the deal. Hamas attributed the delay to “technical” reasons but did not specify what they were.
At 8:30am (06:30GMT), two hours after the deadline, Hamas said it had sent the list and Israeli officials confirmed receipt. Hamas named the prisoners released on Sunday as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari.
Al Jazeera's Hind Kudari in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, reports that Palestinians are now trying to return to their homes and try to rebuild their lives. Thousands of Palestinians will be able to travel to areas previously not allowed, including Jabaliya and Rafah in northern and southern Gaza, she said.
“Since this morning, people here have been waiting for the ceasefire to come into effect and start moving towards Rafah. We also see a lot of people packing their bags … to start going back,” she said.
“But those people also know that most of their houses are not there. Most of their houses are gone. Most Palestinians, however, say they will pitch their tents in the ruins. They miss their communities …or whatever is left of them.”
“We deserve life”
A displaced Palestinian woman from northern Gaza told Al Jazeera she was “very happy about this because we deserve our lives”.
“We're seeing people being torn to pieces, so this ceasefire is great news and we need to thank everyone who played a role in this war and helped us end it,” she said.
Thousands of Palestinian police officers have been deployed in the area “as part of the government's plan to maintain security and order in the governorates,” the Gaza government media office said, adding that cities had begun “reopening and repairing streets.”
“Government ministries and agencies are fully prepared to start operations in line with the government plan to ensure a rapid and gradual return to normal life,” it said in a statement, adding that the return of the forcibly displaced people would begin next week start.
The Gaza Civil Defense Department stated that before the ceasefire agreement came into effect, the Israeli army continued to carry out genocide in Gaza, killing at least 19 Palestinians and injuring 36 others.
In the 15 months since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and injured 110,725 in the worst conflict of the 21st century.
The attack led by Hamas that day killed at least 1,139 people in Israel and captured more than 200 people.
Israeli leader Netanyahu faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant on war crimes charges and genocide charges at the International Court of Justice.