Qatar and the United States announced Wednesday a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas, adding that they hoped it would pave the way for a permanent end to the war in Gaza.After mediators said a deal had been reached,

JERUSALEM - A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin at 8.30am (2.30pm Singapore time) on Jan 19, mediator Qatar has said after Israel’s Cabinet voted to approve the ceasefire and hostage-prisoner release deal.

Key mediator Qatar said negotiations for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal were in their "final stages" on Tuesday, expressing hope an agreement could be reached "very soon".

The ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip will take effect this Sunday, January 19, announced this Wednesday by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Mohamed bin Abderrahman.

Qatar's prime minister said Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza starting on Sunday and a hostage and prisoner exchange after 15 months of war. The agreement follows months of on-off negotiations brokered by Egyptian and Qatari mediators,

First phase of agreement likely to involve release of 33 Israeli hostages and up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners

Qatar, Egypt and the United States have stepped up efforts ... the central area of Deir el-Balah and Khan Yunis in the south. "Last night was harsh and bloody," spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP. The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas fighters.

A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin Sunday morning at 0630 GMT, mediator Qatar said on Saturday after Israel's cabinet voted to approve the truce and hostage-prisoner release deal.

Qatar, Egypt and the United States have intensified ... Umm Ibrahim Abu Sultan said from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza that she had "lost everything" in the war. "I am anxiously awaiting the truce.

In the southern city of Khan Yunis, people who had not yet returned ... over the list of hostages to be freed on the first day. Qatar, a mediator of the truce, later confirmed it had gone into ...

The first three hostages were released Sunday after the ceasefire officially began. A total of 33 hostages will be released in the first phase of the deal.

A ceasefire in the Gaza war will begin this morning, mediator Qatar said after Israel’s cabinet voted to approve the truce and hostage-prisoner release deal. Since Qatar and the US, which mediated the deal along with Egypt, announced the agreement on Wednesday, Israeli strikes on Gaza have continued.