Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, stated on Saturday that Israel had “failed to achieve its aggressive goals” in Gaza, a day before a ceasefire and hostage release agreement was set to begin.
According to Hamas, Israel only succeeded in committing “war crimes that disgrace the dignity of humanity.”
The ceasefire in the Gaza conflict is scheduled to begin on Sunday at 06:30 GMT, following approval by Israel’s cabinet. The agreement also involves the release of hostages and prisoners.
The exact start time had been uncertain, but Israel clarified that no Palestinian prisoners would be freed until later in the afternoon.
The truce was mediated by Qatar, the United States, and Egypt, and was announced earlier in the week. Following the announcement, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 113 people, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency, after Israel reported hitting approximately 50 targets in 24 hours.
On Saturday, explosions were heard over Jerusalem as warning sirens blared, with the military stating that a projectile was launched from Yemen, where Iran-backed rebels expressed support for Palestinians.
Qatar’s foreign ministry confirmed that the ceasefire would start at 8:30 am local time on Sunday, January 19, and advised people in Gaza to exercise caution and follow official instructions.
The ongoing conflict, lasting more than 15 months, has seen only one previous truce in November 2023, which also included a prisoner exchange.
