DOHA —
Qatar's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al Ansari confirmed on Sunday that
the Gaza ceasefire has officially begun as a list of three hostages to be
released that day has been handed over to Israel.
"Regarding reports when the ceasefire will begin in
Gaza, we confirm that the names of the 3 hostages to be released today have
been handed over to the Israeli side. They are three Israeli citizens, one of
whom is of Romanian nationality and the other of British nationality, and thus
the ceasefire has begun," Al-Ansari said in a post on X, Xinhua news
agency reported.
A day earlier, Al-Ansari announced that the Gaza ceasefire
would commence on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) in Gaza.
Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed on a Gaza
ceasefire-for-hostages deal after intensive mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the
U.S.
Earlier, Egypt resumed sending humanitarian aid trucks to
the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the enclave
after the recently reached Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement started taking
effect, the Egyptian State TV reported.
An initial batch of 95 aid trucks crossed the Egyptian side
of the crossing bound for Gaza, and approximately 500 more trucks will follow
throughout the day, the report added, Xinhua news agency reported.
Egypt Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and Minister
of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy arrived at Arish Airport early Saturday to
inspect hospitals’ readiness to receive injured Gazans and monitor final aid
delivery arrangements to the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian state news agency
reported.
Earlier on Friday evening, the AlQahera News Channel
reported that a large number of aid trucks were lined up at the Rafah border
crossing, ready to enter Gaza. The trucks are reported to carry tens of
thousands of essential food items for Gaza’s residents.
Arish, along with its airport in North Sinai, serves as a
hub for receiving and transporting international relief aid into Gaza.
Aid deliveries have been disrupted since May 2024, when
Israeli forces occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing.
Qatar announced a three-phase ceasefire agreement late
Wednesday evening to end more than 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on the
Gaza Strip.
Nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were
killed and more than 110,700 injured in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since
October 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in
November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense
Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court
of Justice for its war on the enclave.
