Qatar details Gaza ceasefire agreement

The Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip will take effect at 8:30 local time (which coincides with Kyiv time) on 19 January.

The agreement will be in force for 42 days. During this period, both sides are required to reach an agreement on a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

The Israeli government approved a deal with Hamas, which includes a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and the release of hostages. The first of the freed hostages are expected to return home as early as Sunday. The deal was supported by 24 ministers of the Israeli cabinet, while eight ministers voted against it.