Anadolu Staff
18 January 2025•Update: 18 January 2025
ANKARA
Qatar's Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that the ceasefire agreement for the Gaza Strip will go into effect at 8.30 a.m. local time (0630GMT) on Sunday, Jan. 19.
Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari confirmed the development on X: "As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 19, local time in Gaza.”
“We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official sources,” he added.
The Israeli army also issued a statement confirming its readiness to implement the deal.
“The agreement will take effect on Sunday, January 19, at 08:30,” the Israeli army said in a statement, noting that its forces “will carry out the operational plan in the field in accordance with the established agreements.”
Meanwhile, the Interior and National Security Ministry in Gaza announced preparations to deploy its forces in the enclave after the ceasefire enters into force.
Qatar announced a three-phase ceasefire agreement on Wednesday to end more than 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip with the ceasefire set to take effect on Sunday.
Nearly 46,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and more than 110,600 injured in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 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.
* Writing by Ikram Kouachi.
