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Ceasefire in Gaza to begin on January 19 — Qatar’s Foreign Ministry

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30 a.m.

DOHA, January 18. /TASS/. A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will come into force at 8:30 a.m. local time (6:30 a.m. GMT) on January 19, Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said.

"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. We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official sources," he wrote on the X social network.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani announced on January 15 that through mediation efforts by Doha, Cairo, and Washington, Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian radical group Hamas agreed on the release of hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire. The agreement will take effect on Sunday, January 19.

During the initial 42-day phase, Hamas will release 33 Israeli military and civilian female hostages, as well as wounded civilians, children, and the elderly, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

Additionally, Israel will withdraw its forces at least 700 meters away from the Gaza border, the Al Jazeera TV channel reported, citing a source. In the first phase of the deal, both parties plan to negotiate the terms of subsequent phases, including the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.