Qatar, a key negotiator in the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, confirmed Saturday that the first hostages will be released in less than 24 hours.

Qatari Foreign Minister Majid al-Ansari said the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time Sunday, less than day after Israel's war cabinet formally approved the deal that would halt the fighting between the two sides after 15 months.

“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,” al-Ansari wrote in a........

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