Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas enters into force in Gaza | News about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

A cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip came into force after a nearly three-hour delay, pausing the devastating 15-month war in the Palestinian enclave.

The ceasefire came into effect at 11:15 local time (09:15 GMT) on Sunday after Hamas handed Israel a list of three female prisoners to be released as part of the deal.

The agreement envisages a pause in the fighting and release three Israeli prisoners and the eye 95 Palestinian prisoners on the first day.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the release of the three prisoners would come after 16:00 (14:00 GMT) on Sunday. It was also said that the four other living captives would be freed in seven days.

A spokesman for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a truce 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. It is about three Israeli citizens, one of whom has Romanian and the other British citizenship. So the ceasefire has started,” Majed al-Ansari said in a statement.

Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States of America, were the three mediators in the ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

Earlier, Israel blamed Hamas for the delay after the Palestinian group failed to provide a list of the names of the first three prisoners to be freed under the deal. Hamas attributed the delay to “technical” reasons, without specifying what they were.

Two hours after the 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) deadline, Hamas said it had sent a list of names, and Israeli officials confirmed receipt. Hamas named the prisoners it was supposed to release on Sunday as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari.

Al Jazeera reporter Hind Khoudary, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said Palestinians are now trying to return to their homes in an attempt to rebuild their lives. She said thousands of Palestinians would be able to go to areas they were previously not allowed to, including Jabalia and Rafah in northern and southern Gaza.

“Since this morning, people here have been waiting for the truce to come into force and to move towards Rafa. We also saw many people packing their luggage… getting ready to go back,” she said.

“But these people also know that most of their houses are not there at all. Most of their houses are no longer standing. However, most Palestinians say they will pitch their tents on top of the rubble. They miss the neighborhoods… or what’s left of them.”

‘We deserve life’

A displaced Palestinian woman from northern Gaza told Al Jazeera that she was “extremely happy about this because we deserve to live.”

“We’ve seen people torn to pieces, so this ceasefire agreement is good news and we need to thank everyone who played a role in helping us end this war,” she said.

The government’s media office in Gaza said thousands of Palestinian police officers had been deployed to the territory “as part of the government’s plan to maintain security and order in various provinces,” adding that municipalities had begun “reopening and rebuilding streets.”

“Government ministries and institutions are fully prepared to begin work in accordance with the Government’s plan to ensure a quick and gradual return to normal life,” the statement said, adding that the return of forcibly displaced persons will begin next week.

Before the ceasefire took effect, the Israeli army continued it genocide in Gazakilling at least 19 Palestinians and wounding 36, the Gaza Civil Defense said.

In the 15 months since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and wounded 110,725 in the deadliest conflict of the 21st century.