Israel are expected to release 737 prisoners and detainees as part of the first phase of a long-awaited ceasefire deal which begins on Sunday.
“The government approves” the “release (of) 737 prisoners and detainees” currently in the custody of the prison service, the ministry said in a statement.
On Saturday morning, rocket sirens sounded in Tel Aviv after a missile was launched from Yemen, with the IDF confirming it had been intercepted by Israel’s Air Force.
Israel has approved a long-awaited ceasefire truce with Hamas, paving the way for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip after 15 months of devastating fighting.
The deal is set to come into effect at 8.30am local time (6.30am GMT) on Sunday, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said.
Israel’s government voted in favour of the truce after the country’s security cabinet, chaired by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, agreed to the ceasefire and hostage deal earlier on Friday. The vote is believed to have been 24 in favour and eight against early on Saturday morning local time.
The ceasefire was announced on Wednesday but faced last-minute hurdles after Mr Netanyahu accused Hamas of “reneging” on parts of the deal.
It was not clear what caused the delay, but it was reported Hamas tried to add some of its members to the list of Palestinian prisoners that would be released under the exchange.
Key Points
- Israel approves ceasefire deal
- Israel says 737 prisoners to be released in first phase of truce deal
- Rocket sirens heard in Tel Aviv as missile launched from Yemen
- West Bank settlers to be ‘freed ahead of ceasefire'
- Israel’s far-right minister threatens to quit government
- Netanyahu says hostage release deal has been reached
Watch: Pro-Palestine supporters march through London
11:58
,
Holly Evans
The next 72 hours are critical – I worry Israel will kill us before the ceasefire begins
11:48
,
Holly Evans
In Sheikh Radwan, in northern Gaza, we have been starving and waiting. The next few days leading up to a possible ceasefire feel more dangerous than ever for us Palestinians. Everyone is holding their breath, hoping to live long enough to see the good news realised. We have already seen Israel dropping bombs and killing 46 people since the ceasefire was announced.
For the past 15 months, hoping for a ceasefire has been one of the only things I can do. I have grown used to counting days since the start of this horror: counting the days since I was last able to get flour. I also count the days of our lives.
During the darkest times, when we realised that aid and food weren’t coming, my family and I tried to sustain ourselves with anything we could find. We tried bird food and rabbit food and even tried to grind up cat food. In the first days of this famine, I saw people going to Nabulsi Square, where aid trucks full of wheat flour would distribute quantities that were only enough for a small fraction of us. I would see people dying in attempts to get some flour for their families, but some did come away with flour. At first, I thought that I wouldn’t die for a bag of flour. Later, I realised I was dying of starvation anyway.
Read the full article here:
Hostage and prisoner exchange to begin at 2pm on Sunday
11:30
,
Holly Evans
According to the ceasefire plan, approved by the Cabinet and signed by Israel’s national security adviser, the exchange will begin Sunday at 4pm local time (2pm GMT). During each exchange, prisoners will be released by Israel after the hostages have arrived safely.
The plan says that during phase one, some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners will be released, in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages, both alive and dead. Among the prisoners, 1,167 are residents in Gaza who were held by Israel but were not involved in Oct. 7. All women and children under 19 from Gaza held by Israel will be freed during this phase.
All Palestinian prisoners who were convicted of deadly attacks will be exiled, either to Gaza or abroad, and barred from returning to Israel or the West Bank. Some will be exiled for three years and others permanently, according to the plan.
Lebanon's new president stresses urgency of Israeli withdrawal from south under truce deal
11:14
,
Holly Evans
Lebanon’s new president Joseph Aoun stressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday the urgency of an Israeli military withdrawal as stipulated by a ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November.
According to a statement by the Lebanese presidency on X, Aoun told Guterres during a meeting in Beirut that continued Israeli breaches were a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the agreed ceasefire deal.
The ceasefire, which took effect on Nov. 27 and was brokered by the United States and France, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, and for Hezbollah to remove all its fighters and weapons from the south.
الرئيس عون خلال لقائه غوتيريس : لبنان متمسك بضرورة انسحاب القوات الإسرائيلية من أراضيه المحتلة في الجنوب ضمن المهلة التي حددها الاتفاق الذي تم التوصل إليه في 27 تشرين الثاني الماضي pic.twitter.com/sEHiSatmYN
— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) January 18, 2025
Guterres said the U.N. would exert utmost efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal within the set deadline under the ceasefire terms, according to the statement.
He had said on Friday the Israeli military’s continued occupation of territory in south Lebanon and the conduct of military operations in Lebanese territory were violations of a U.N. resolution upon which the ceasefire is based.
At least 46,899 Palestinians killed in Israel’s Gaza war, health ministry says
10:41
,
Holly Evans
Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and injured 110,725 since Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry said in an update on Saturday.
23 Palestinians were killed and 83 were injured over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said.
UN chief pledges international support as Lebanon rebuilds
10:15
,
Holly Evans
Antonio Guterres said the international community will back Lebanon “for what we believe will be a speedy recovery of this country, making it again the center of the Middle East.”
The UN Secretary-General made his comments on Saturday following a meeting in Beirut with Lebanon’s newly elected president Joseph Aoun. A new prime minister was also named to form a government following Aoun’s election last week.
Lebanon had been without a president for 26 months, part of internal divisions in the small nation.
Guterres said that naming a president and prime minister makes it possible to consolidate the Lebanese institutions and to deploy the Lebanese army across the country, including areas from where Israeli troops will withdraw.
“As soon as the conflict ends, reconstruction begins,” Guterres said.
The US-brokered ceasefire is an attempt to end the Israel-Hezbollah war that has killed more than 4,000 people and wounded over 16,000 in Lebanon.Part of the deal is that Hezbollah will pull out from the border area with Israel and only Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers can have armed presence along the Israeli border.
List of Palestinian prisoners set for release doesn’t include Marwan Barghouti
09:45
,
Holly Evans
Israel’s Justice Ministry has published a list of over 700 Palestinian prisoners who are to be released under the ceasefire deal pausing the war with Hamas militants in Gaza.
The list came just hours after Israel’s full Cabinet approved the ceasefire deal.
The Justice Ministry said the Palestinian prisoners would be released no earlier than 4 pm. local time on Sunday, the day the exchange is set to begin. The list includes members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups, some of whom are serving lifetime sentences and are convicted of serious offenses such as murder.
The list did not appear to include Marwan Barghouti, the 64-year-old who is the highest-profile prisoner held by Israel and seen by many Palestinians as a prime candidate to become their president in the future. He was a leader in the West Bank during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s.
Hamas has demanded that Israel release him as part of any ceasefire agreement, a possibility Israeli officials have ruled out.
Families of hostages vow to keep fighting until full release of those in captivity
09:28
,
Bel Trew
In a press statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said they would now stop until the last of the hostages had been returned, with the first group set to be released on Sunday.
The group said: “We, the families of the 98 hostages, welcome the agreement intended to bring all hostages home.
“This represents a significant and crucial advancement that brings us closer to the moment when we will see all hostages return home—the living to rehabilitate among their families, and the deceased for proper burial.
“Today also marks Kfir Bibas’ second birthday—both of his birthdays have been spent in Hamas captivity. This unconscionable tragedy must end now. We urgently call for swift arrangements to ensure all phases of the deal are implemented, and emphasize that negotiations for the next phases must begin before day 16.
“We wish to express our profound gratitude to President-elect Trump, President Biden, both administrations, and the international mediators for making this possible.
“Now, after 470 days of our family members being held in Hamas tunnels, we are closer than ever to reuniting with our loved ones. We call upon the public to attend tonight’s main rally at Hostages Square and gatherings throughout the country to demand the guarantee of returning the last hostage!”
Hamas says Israeli hostages’ release to hinge on number of freed Palestinians
09:09
,
Holly Evans
Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Saturday that the mechanism of the release of Israeli hostages it holds in Gaza would depend on the number of Palestinian prisoners Israel would free.
In a statement, Hamas said the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released would be published one day before the exchange under terms of its ceasefire deal reached with Israel on Wednesday.
The ceasefire is set to come into effect at 8.30am local time (6.30am GMT) on Sunday, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said.
Hezbollah chief says Gaza ceasefire deal shows 'persistence of resistance' against Israel
08:41
,
Holly Evans
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem congratulated Palestinians on Saturday for the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying it proved the “persistence of resistance” against Israel in his first comments since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday.
“This deal, which was unchanged from what was proposed in May 2024, proves the persistence of resistance groups, which took what they wanted while Israel was not able to take what it sought,” the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group said in a speech.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in a conflict parallel to the Gaza war in November.
Rocket sirens heard in Tel Aviv
08:30
,
Holly Evans
Rocket sirens have been heard in central Israel, with our chief international reporter Bel Trew reporting that they are sounding in Tel Aviv.
A statement from the IDF read: “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in a number of areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF.
“Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
What will happen on Sunday?
08:08
,
Holly Evans
Qatar says ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 6:30am GMT on Sunday
Under the deal, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The remainder, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
Hamas has agreed to free three female hostages on Day 1 of the deal, four on Day 7 and the remaining 26 over the following five weeks.
Israel publishes list of more than 700 Palestinian prisoners to be released under the ceasefire deal
Ceasefire deal to come into effect at 6.30am GMT
08:00
,
Holly Evans
The Gaza ceasefire will come into effect on Sunday at 06:30am GMT, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said in a tweet on X on Saturday.
As coordinated by the parties to the agreement and the mediators, the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 19, local time in Gaza. We advise the inhabitants to take precaution, exercise the utmost caution, and wait for directions from official…
— د. ماجد محمد الأنصاري Dr. Majed Al Ansari (@majedalansari) January 18, 2025
119 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since Wednesday
07:43
,
Holly Evans
In Gaza, Israeli warplanes have kept up heavy attacks since the ceasefire deal was agreed. Medics in Gaza said an Israeli airstrike early on Saturday killed five people in a tent in the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in the enclave’s south.
This brought to 119 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli bombardment since the accord was announced on Wednesday.
Gaza civilians have faced a humanitarian crisis due to hunger, cold and sickness. The ceasefire agreement calls for a surge in assistance, and international organisations have aid trucks lined up on Gaza’s borders to bring in food, fuel, medicine and other vital supplies.
Palestinian relief agency UNRWA said on Friday that it has 4,000 truckloads of aid, half of which are food, ready to enter the coastal strip.
Palestinians waiting for food in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday said they hoped a truce will mean an end to hours of queuing to fill one plate.
“I hope it will happen so we’ll be able to cook in our homes and make whatever food we want, without having to go to soup kitchens and exhaust ourselves for three or four hours trying to get (food) - sometimes not even making it home,” displaced Palestinian Reeham Sheikh al-Eid said.
Countdown to Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages begins
07:02
,
Tom Watling
Trump claims he secured peace in Gaza – can he do the same in Ukraine?
06:01
,
Tom Watling
A year of war in Gaza: A timeline of key moments as ceasefire agreed
05:02
,
Tom Watling
Israel says 737 prisoners to be released in first phase of truce deal
05:00
,
Shweta Sharma
Israel has said 737 prisoners are to be freed in the first phase of Gaza truce deal.
A ceasefire deal was reached early today. Under the deal, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The remaining hostages, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first.
The Hamas militant group has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
UN announces new plan to counter the surge in antisemitism
04:32
,
Shweta Sharma
The United Nations announced new actions to counter the surge in antisemitism, including encouraging governments to enforce laws against hate crimes and discrimination.
The UN, created in the aftermath of the World War II Holocaust in 6 six million Jews were killed, has worked to counter antisemitism.
But the 193-member global organization has been accused of being antisemitic, including by US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for UN ambassador, New York Rep Elise Stefanik. She is pro-Israel and has called the UN a “den of antisemitism” that she intends to confront.
The UN Action Plan to Enhance Monitoring and Response to Antisemitism is mainly focused on strengthening and coordinating work throughout the United Nations, but it also includes recommendations for governments and organizations.
Miguel Moratinos, the head of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, which developed the plan, said he was alarmed at the surge in antisemitic incidents online and offline, citing attacks on synagogues and religious sites, including after 7 Oct, 2023, attacks by Hamas.
“Unfortunately, our efforts, like those of national governments, have not been sufficient to curb the drivers of antisemitism,” he said.
US state department condemned for removing journalist for Gaza question
04:04
,
Shweta Sharma
Journalist advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said it is “shocked” at the forced physical removal of a reporter, Sam Husseini, by security from a State Department briefing with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
In a post, RSF said Husseini was “violently removed from a @statedept press briefing for asking tough questions”.
“Such treatment of journalists is unacceptable for any administration and must not become precedent. Husseini must be allowed to do his job without further incident,” it said.
Mr Husseini was removed after he began confronting Mr Blinken over a series of questions over US’ support to Israel as the Secretary of State asked him to “respect the process”.
RSF was shocked to see @samhusseini violently removed from a @statedept press briefing for asking tough questions. Such treatment of journalists is unacceptable for any administration and must not become precedent. Husseini must be allowed to do his job without further incident. https://t.co/ZilpH1iOjg
— RSF (@RSF_inter) January 17, 2025
Before being removed, the journalist shouted: “Criminal! Why aren’t you in The Hague?”
“You pontificate about a free press! I am asking questions after being told by [spokesman] Matt Miller that he will not answer my questions,” he added as he was taken out.
A ceasefire in Gaza is a victory for Netanyahu – and Hamas
04:02
,
Tom Watling
Palestinians awaiting aid to contain devastating humanitarian crisis
03:41
,
Shweta Sharma
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has left civilians in Gaza grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis marked by hunger, cold, and illness. The recently agreed ceasefire includes provisions to significantly increase humanitarian aid.
According to Reuters, international organizations have stationed aid trucks at Gaza’s borders, ready to deliver essential supplies such as food, fuel, and medicine.
On Friday, the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA announced it had prepared 4,000 truckloads of aid, with half of them containing food, for immediate entry into the coastal enclave.
Displaced Palestinian Reeham Sheikh al-Eid said, “I hope it will happen so we’ll be able to cook in our homes and make whatever food we want, without having to go to soup kitchens and exhaust ourselves for three or four hours trying to get [food] – sometimes not even making it home”.
The ceasefire agreement stipulates that aid deliveries to Gaza should rise to 600 trucks daily, surpassing the minimum requirement of 500 trucks that aid agencies deem necessary to address the territory’s dire humanitarian crisis.
Six hospitals preparing to receive hostages
03:26
,
Shweta Sharma
Six hospitals across the country are preparing to receive hostages, including two in the south, closer to Gaza, that will treat those with acute medical issues, health ministry officials said.
The Red Cross team that will transfer the hostages from Gaza to Egypt and the small Israeli military medical team that will meet the hostages at the border as they cross into Israel have strict guidelines for what the hostages can eat in their first few hours, Dr Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Ministry of Health’s medical directorate said.
“Given the physical and emotional conditions, we expect emotional withdrawal symptoms, such as maybe exhaustion, fatigue — and some will probably need assistance with their mobility,” Dr Einat Yehene, a psychologist at the Hostages Families Forum who oversees the captives’ rehabilitation said.
Medical officials are also prepared for the possibility that returning hostages will need speech therapy, especially if they have been kept in isolation, Dr Yehene noted. She said some might be so traumatized or in shock from the transfer to Israel that they will be unable to speak at all.
To minimize the hostages’ trauma and allow them to acclimate to their new reality, officials will try to limit the number of people who interact with them and have made accommodations to lessen their sensory stimulation, such as stripping down the hospital rooms and changing the lighting.
Israel’s Ministry of Social Welfare has also planned temporary housing solutions if hostages feel unable to return directly from the hospital to their home.
Israel says exact conditions of hostages to be released are unknown to them
03:08
,
Shweta Sharma
Israel is preparing for the return of the hostages from Gaza with the expectation that many are likely to have severe, life-threatening complications after more than a year in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
While it’s impossible to know the exact conditions in which hostages have been held, the Health Ministry and the Hostages Family Forum, which represents families of the hostages, are preparing for several different scenarios based on information gathered from hostages previously released or rescued.
Hagai Levine, who heads the health team at the Hostages Families Forum, said he expects the hostages to return with cardiovascular and respiratory issues due to lack of ventilation in the tunnels.
Among multiple other afflictions Levine expects are vitamin deficiencies, starvation, dramatic weight loss, vision problems due to a lack of sunlight, broken bones, cognitive impairment and mental health trauma.
As a result, doctors are expecting the hostages will require longer and more complex medical and mental health interventions than did those who returned after the last ceasefire in November 2023, said Dr Einat Yehene, a psychologist at the Hostages Families Forum who oversees the captives’ rehabilitation.
The terrible cost of peace between Israel and Hamas: In numbers
03:01
,
Tom Watling
Israeli troops preparing for ceasefire
02:50
,
Shweta Sharma
The Israeli military announced that its forces inside Gaza are making preparations for a ceasefire set to commence tomorrow.
As part of the truce, Israeli troops will begin a phased withdrawal from specific areas and routes within the Gaza Strip.
However, according to the military, Palestinian residents will not be permitted to return to locations previously occupied by Israeli forces or areas near the border with Israel, as reported by the Associated Press.
The agreement also outlines the release of 33 hostages over the coming six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Starmer visits Auschwitz and vows to fight the antisemitism he sees growing in the UK
02:01
,
Tom Watling
CIA employee who leaked classified documents on Israel's plans to strike Iran to plead guilty
01:01
,
Tom Watling
A CIA employee who was accused of leaking classified documents about Israel‘s plans to strike Iran will plead guilty to criminal charges that he willfully retained and transmitted national defence information, according to a court filing.
US imposes sanctions on Yemeni financial institution in action against Houthis
00:00
,
Tom Watling
The US has imposed sanctions on a Yemen-based financial institution that Washington accused of financially supporting the Houthis, as President Joe Biden’s administration sought to further pressure the militant group before Biden leaves office.
The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on Yemen Kuwait Bank, accusing it of helping the Houthis exploit the Yemeni banking sector to launder money and transfer funds to allies, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers. The intensity of the attacks has disrupted global shipping and prompted route changes.
The attacks have disrupted international commerce, forcing some ships to take the long route around southern Africa rather than the Suez Canal, leading to increases in insurance rates, delivery costs and time that stoked global inflation fears.
The Houthis seized power in Yemen in late 2014 and control most parts of the country including the capital Sanaa. They have also launched missiles and drones towards Israel, hundreds of kilometres to the north. Israel has responded by striking Houthi areas on several occasions. Last week Israeli warplanes bombed two ports and a power station.
Israeli government approves peace deal
Friday 17 January 2025 23:17
,
Tom Watling
The Israeli government ratified the Gaza ceasefire and hostage return deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, after a cabinet meeting that lasted more than six hours and ended in the early hours of Saturday.
Under the deal, bitterly opposed by some cabinet hardliners, a six-week ceasefire is due to take effect on Sunday, with the first of a series of hostage-for-prisoner exchanges that could open the way to ending the 15-month war in Gaza.
Palestinian Authority says it is ready to assume ‘full responsibility’ in Gaza
Friday 17 January 2025 22:00
,
Tom Watling
The Palestinian Authority has said they are ready to assume “full responsibility” of the Gaza Strip.
In a statement on X, the group in charge of the West Bank wrote: “The Palestinian government has completed all preparations to assume full responsibilities in the Strip and that the government administrative and security personnel were fully prepared to carry out their tasks in order to alleviate the suffering inflicted on the Gaza population, allow displaced persons to return to their homes, restore essential services to the Strip, assume responsibility for the border crossings and help commence Gaza reconstruction.”
Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal is ‘last chance for Gaza,’ says Qatar prime minister
Friday 17 January 2025 21:01
,
Tom Watling
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas currently going through the Israeli parliament for approval will be the “last chance for Gaza”, the Qatari prime minister has claimed.
Speaking to Sky News, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said: “What we have reached with this deal, this will be the last chance for Gaza.
“When we talk about peace in general, peace won’t happen unless there is a Palestinian state at the end of the day.
“We must address the root causes of the issue and not just the symptoms.”
Israeli foreign minister backs ceasefire deal
Friday 17 January 2025 20:56
,
Tom Watling
Israel’s foreign minister has revealed he backed the ceasefire deal during this afternoon’s security cabinet meeting, adding that he will do so again in the wider government vote.
In a post shared on Facebook, Gideon Sa’ar also writes that fellow Knesset member Ze’ev Elkin is also voting for the agreement.
Nine deny attack on Israeli firm Elbit's UK warehouse
Friday 17 January 2025 20:30
,
Tom Watling
Nine people appeared in a London court on Friday to deny offences including burglary, criminal damage, violent disorder and hitting a police officer with a sledgehammer, over an incident at a warehouse linked to Israeli defence firm Elbit.
The nine, who prosecutors have said were activists from the protest organisation Palestine Action, are accused of smashing their way into the Elbit Systems UK facility in Bristol, southwest England, in August.
At a previous hearing, prosecutors said a repurposed prison van was used to smash through fencing before some of the group damaged items in the warehouse using sledgehammers.
Four men and five women, aged between 20 and 51, appeared by video link on Friday at London’s Old Bailey Court. All nine pleaded not guilty to aggravated burglary and causing criminal damage which has been estimated at 1 million pounds.
Seven of them also denied a charge of violent disorder, while one, Simon Corner, pleaded not guilty to a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, for allegedly striking a police officer with a sledgehammer.
Another nine people also charged with offences over the incident appeared at Friday’s hearing but did not enter pleas.
Trump claims he secured peace in Gaza – can he do the same in Ukraine?
Friday 17 January 2025 20:01
,
Tom Watling
Israel releases names of Palestinians to be freed
Friday 17 January 2025 19:30
,
Tom Watling
Israel has released the names of nearly 100 Palestinians to be freed on Sunday as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Israel’s justice ministry released the names of 95 people. The list includes women and young men up to 25 years old.
It also includes the relatives of senior Hamas officials.
‘A ceasefire is just the start’ say British Palestinians with family in Gaza
Friday 17 January 2025 19:02
,
Tom Watling
British Palestinians with family in Gaza have expressed their relief over the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, but say they are worried about what’s going to happen next.
Israel’s security cabinet met on Friday to approve the ceasefire deal, paving the way for the full Israeli cabinet to sign off on the deal, which would come into place on Sunday and see the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Wafaa Shamallakh, 38, an Arabic interpreter who works for Kingston Council, said that while she was happy to share the news of the ceasefire with her siblings in Gaza, she still fears for them.
Ms Shamallakh, who has lived in Kingston, south-west London, for the last 17 years, said she lost 10 members of her family in an airstrike in Sheikh Eljeen, south-west Gaza on October 8 2023.
Her mother is currently in Egypt after losing her home in Gaza, while her brother and sister are currently staying in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
“Since the announcement (on Wednesday), more than 80 people have been killed, so we’re still waiting for Sunday,” Ms Shamallakh told the PA news agency.
“There’s no guarantees that the Israeli side will do what they agreed. We’re still afraid and scared of what’s going to happen next.”
Countdown to Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages begins
Friday 17 January 2025 18:28
,
Tom Watling
Houthi protest in Yemen - pictures
Friday 17 January 2025 18:01
,
Tom Watling
Lady Starmer's emotional return to Auschwitz as she visits concentration camp with prime minister
Friday 17 January 2025 17:30
,
Tom Watling
Israel’s far-right ministers slam ceasefire deal
Friday 17 January 2025 17:01
,
Tom Watling
Far-right politicians in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have called for the ceasefire agreement to be rejected.
Far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir, who is the Israeli minister for national security, described the deal as “terrifying”.
His party, Otzama Yehudit, is in a coalition with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.
“I call on my friends in the Likud and in religious Zionism, it is not yet too late, we are before a government meeting, we can stop this deal, join me, we can stop it,” he wrote on X.
The terrible cost of peace between Israel and Hamas: In numbers
Friday 17 January 2025 16:31
,
Tom Watling
Who are the 33 Israeli hostages set to be released under first phase of Gaza ceasefire?