Ammon News - A ceasefire agreement in Gaza between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" went into effect on Sunday, opening the way for a possible end to the 15-month war that turned the Middle East upside down.

Before the agreement went into effect, Hamas said on Sunday morning that it was committed to the terms of the ceasefire agreement, before the agreement entered into force, noting that the delay in handing over the names of those to be released in the first batch was due to “technical field reasons,” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave orders to his army that the ceasefire “will not begin until the Palestinian militant group Hamas provides a list of hostages to be released.”

The three-stage ceasefire came into effect at 0630 GMT on Sunday.

Its first stage will last six weeks, during which 33 of the remaining 98 hostages - women, children, men over 50, the ill and wounded - will be released in return for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

They include 737 male, female and teen-aged prisoners, some of whom are members of militant groups convicted of attacks that killed dozens of Israelis, as well as hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza in detention since the start of the war.

Three female hostages are expected to be released on Sunday afternoon through the Red Cross, in return for 30 prisoners each.
After Sunday's hostage release, lead U.S. negotiator Brett McGurk said, the accord calls for four more female hostages to be freed after seven days, followed by the release of three further hostages every seven days thereafter.

During the first phase the Israeli army will pull back from some of its positions in Gaza and Palestinians displaced from areas in northern Gaza will be allowed to return.