What to know about the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
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After more than a year of devastating war, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is set to begin on Sunday, pausing the 15-month conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group in the Gaza Strip. The deal is the most significant breakthrough in the war, but its implementation is complex and fragile. It requires cooperation between Palestinian militant groups, the International Red Cross, the Israeli military, mediators from multiple countries and an Israeli government whose coalition is starting to fray as hard-line ministers express their disapproval.
The pause has lifted spirits in Gaza, where 90% of the population has been displaced by Israel’s punishing ground and air bombardments, and vast swaths of the territory reduced to rubble. In Israel, families are desperate to embrace relatives Hamas took captive in the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack that triggered the war. Israel says 98 hostages are still being held in Gaza, but little is known about their conditions, including if they are even still alive.
What will happen on Sunday?. The ceasefire goes into effect at 8:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT). According to the plan, three living female hostages are to be released after 4 p.m. (1400 GMT). Soon afterward, Israel will release around 95 Palestinian prisoners, who are mostly minors or female.
Hamas was supposed to provide Israel with the names of the three hostages on Saturday afternoon, but as of late Saturday night, Israel still had not received the names. The names are to be made public only after the hostages are returned and officially identified.
