TUNIS, January 18. /TASS/. Israel will release more than 1,890 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the deal, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.
"During the 42-day first phase, Hamas will release 33 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing more than 1,890 prisoners," it wrote on its Facebook page (Facebook is banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist). "We reiterate the mediators’ commitment to ensuring the implementation of the agreement on Gaza in three phases in the agreed terms."
Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said that the 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 Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said late on January 15 that thanks to the mediatory efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held in the enclave.
The agreement will come into force on Sunday, January 19. During the 42-day first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, Hamas will release 33 hostages, including civilian and military women, as well as children, the elderly and the wounded in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and detention centers. Apart from that, according to an Al Jazeera’s source, Israel will withdraw its troops to the enclave’s borders to a distance of 700 meters. Details of the second and third phases of the agreement, including complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, will be discussed during the implementation of phase one.