30 local time (7:30 am Central European Time). This was announced by the Qatari Foreign Ministry in Doha on Saturday. The population is still advised to take precautions and exercise “utmost caution” with officials urging people to wait for instructions from authorized sources.
On Friday evening, the Israeli government had agreed to the deal, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, between Israel and Hamas. Since then, a 24-hour period has been running, during which opponents of the agreement can file a petition against it with the Supreme Court.
According to reports, the deal includes the release of 33 hostages held by Hamas, who were kidnapped from Israel on October 7, 2023, during the attacks. In return, Israel is expected to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The IDF troops are also set to withdraw from the Gaza Strip in a phased manner. The fate of the remaining hostages is unclear, with further negotiations to be held on their release. The ceasefire is initially set to last for 42 days.