Egypt says implementation of Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal must ‘start without delay’

Egypt’s foreign ministry says the implementation of a hostage release-ceasefire in Gaza must “start without delay,” a day after mediators announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement.

The deal, announced by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt, is set to take effect on Sunday and involves the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalized.

Since the deal was announced, the Hamas-run civil defense agency in Gaza says at least 80 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in Israeli strikes. The toll could not be independently verified.

The IDF said earlier today that some 50 strikes over the past day eliminated several members of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and hit buildings used by the terror groups, weapon depots, rocket launchers, weapon manufacturing sites, and observation posts.

In a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty calls for an immediate start to the truce and stresses “the need for the parties to adhere to its provisions and work to implement its stages on the specified dates.”

Cairo also calls for the rapid, safe and effective distribution of humanitarian aid, as well as “early recovery projects in preparation for reconstruction.”