Gaza truce deal will take effect at 0630 GMT (0430 local time Gaza) on Sunday morning said Qatar, one of the key mediators of the vital deal.
"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," said Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari on X.
بناءاً على التوافق بين أطراف الاتفاق والوسطاء سيبدأ وقف إطلاق النار في قطاع غزة في تمام الساعة ٨:٣٠ من صباح يوم الأحد ١٩ يناير بالتوقيت المحلي في غزة. ونوصي الأشقاء بأخذ الحيطة وممارسة أقصى درجات الحذر وانتظار التوجيهات من المصادر الرسمية.
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) January 18, 2025
Also read | Israel approves ceasefire deal with Hamas, hostage release set to begin Sunday
This comes as Israel's justice ministry in a statement said that the country will be releasing 737 PoWs (Prisoners of War) in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, after deal was approved on Saturday.
Release of 737 detainees 'approved'
The Israeli Justice Ministry in a statement said that the "government approves" the "release (of) 737 prisoners and detainees" currently in the custody of the prison service.
Also read | Gaza truce: Israel wants no 'public display of joy' during release of Palestinian prisoners
Among those named by the ministry are men, women, and children who it said will be released after 4:00 pm local time (1400 GMT) on Sunday. Previously, the Israeli ministry had shared a list of 75 Palestinian prisoners to be freed in exchange of Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
AFP reports that Zakaria Zubeidi, a chief of the armed wing of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party; and Khalida Jarar, a prominent member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a group designated a "terrorist organisation" by Israel, the United States and the European Union are also among the detainees to be freed.
Meanwhile, citing two sources close to Hamas, AFP reported that among the first group of hostages to be released by the Palestinian militants are three Israeli women soldiers.
(With inputs from agencies)