A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin on Sunday morning, mediator Qatar said, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to bring back “all the hostages” held in the Palestinian territory.
The truce is intended to end more than 15 months of fighting and devastating bombardment, but in a televised address Saturday evening, the hawkish premier stressed Israel had US support to return to war if necessary.
During an initial 42-day ceasefire, Palestinian militant groups will hand over 33 hostages, three of them on Sunday, and Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, some of whom will be deported.
“As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30 am (0630 GMT) on Sunday,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.
Israeli strikes on Gaza continued on the eve of the truce, with Gaza’s civil defence agency saying at least five members of one family were killed when a strike hit their tent in Khan Yunis.
Explosions were heard over Jerusalem as Yemen’s Huthi rebels launched a barrage of missiles at Israel in a show of support for Palestinians.বিস্তারিত