Prior to the ceasefire, Gaza Ministry of Health reports 23 deaths in the last 24 hours

The Ministry of Health of Gaza reported on Saturday that at least 23 people had died in the last 24 hours in this Palestinian territory ruled by Hamas, just hours before the ceasefire with Israel, scheduled for Sunday morning, comes into effect.

With this figure, the total number of deaths rises to 46,899 in more than 15 months of conflict, according to an official statement.
Since the start of the war, which began with Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, a total of 110,725 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip. Gaza.

(Read also: Families of Israeli hostages demand Netanyahu not to return to war when truce ends)

Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement to come into force on Sunday

The agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of prisoners in exchange for hostages will come into effect on Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 06:30 GMT, one day after the Israeli government approved it, after more than 15 months of war in the Palestinian territory.

Qatar, one of the international mediators along with Egypt and the United States, announced that the ceasefire will begin on Sunday at 08:30 (06:30 GMT). This agreement, reached after more than a year of complex negotiations, establishes a first phase of six weeks during which the cessation of hostilities and the release of 33 hostages held in Gazain exchange for 737 Palestinian prisoners in the hands of Israel.

According to the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane Al-Thani, the pact announced on Wednesday aims to “put a definitive end to the war”, which began with an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian movement Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023. .

Despite the proximity of the beginning of the truce, on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president of the United States on Monday, the Israeli army continued its attacks in Gazawhich have left more than 100 dead since Wednesday, according to emergency services. For its part, the Israeli army intercepted a projectile from Yemen on Saturday, which activated anti-aircraft alarms in the center of the country.

The Israeli Council of Ministers approved the agreement early Saturday, a few hours after Hamas, considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union, also accepted it. While the Israeli government also announced that some hostages would be released on the same Sunday, although without specifying the exact number. A military official indicated that the liberation will take place at three points on the border between Israel and Gazawhere the hostages will be treated by doctors and then transferred to hospitals.

MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO/Getty Images via AFP

According to two sources close to Hamas, the first group of hostages released will be three Israeli women.
For its part, Israel has established a list of 95 Palestinian prisoners who could be released on Sunday, mostly women and minors detained after October 7. The Ministry of Justice indicated that the prisoners will not be released before 14:00 GMT on Sunday.

“It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for”

Among the Palestinian prisoners included in the agreement is Zakaria al Zubeidi, former leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah party, led by President Mahmoud Abbas. Also among the 33 hostages who will be released in the first phase are two French-Israelis: Ofer Kalderon, 54, and Ohad Yahalomi, 50, according to the French government.

“It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for. I hope to see my grandfather come home, standing, alive,” said Daniel Lifshitz, grandson of Oded Lifshitz, 84, who was kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz. On the Strip Gazadevastated by Israeli airstrikes and the ground offensive in retaliation for the October 7 attack, the displaced (the majority of the estimated 2.4 million Palestinians) are preparing to return to their homes.

“I am going to remove the rubble from the house and put my tent there,” said Umm Khalil Bakr, who fled the city of Gaza towards Nuseirat. “We know that it will be cold and that we will not have blankets to sleep in, but the important thing is to return to our land.” According to the UN, the war has caused destruction “unprecedented in recent history” in the Gaza Strip. Gaza.

AFP

In Israel, the October 7 attack left 1,210 dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data. Of the 251 people kidnapped that day, 94 remain hostages in Gazaof which 34 have died, according to the Israeli army.

(Read also: Israeli Security Cabinet approves ceasefire in Gaza and asks Government to ratify it)

At least 46,876 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gazaaccording to data from the Hamas Ministry of Health, considered reliable by the UN. In addition to the release of hostages, the first phase of the agreement includes, according to US President Joe Biden, “a complete ceasefire”, the Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas of Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid.

During this phase, the details of the second phase will be negotiated, which should allow the release of the last hostages, before the third and final phase, focused on the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of the bodies of hostages who have died in captivity.