THE Gaza ceasefire deal has now officially begun following a three-hour delay.
It comes after Israel said the fighting in Gaza would continue until Hamas handed over the names of the three hostages it planned to release on Sunday.
During the delay, it’s been reported that at least ten people were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.
Hamas blamed a delay in handing over the names on "technical field reasons," but later published them on social media.
Nearly three hours after the ceasefire was originally supposed to start at 8.30am local time, officials said it had started.
Celebrations erupted across Gaza while some Palestinians started to return to their homes, even after the delay underscored the fragility of the agreement.
In a statement, the spokesperson of Qatar's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the ceasefire had started.
"Regarding reports when the ceasefire will begin in Gaza, we confirm that the names of the three hostages to be released today have been handed over to the Israeli side," Majed al-Ansari said.
"They are three Israeli citizens, one of whom is Romanian nationality and the other of British nationality, and thus the ceasefire has begun."
Meanwhile, the party of Israel's hard-line national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said its Cabinet ministers submitted their resignations from the government on Sunday in opposition to the ceasefire.
The departure of the Jewish Power party weakens Netanyahu's coalition but will not affect the ceasefire.
It does not come as a complete shock as Ben-Gvir had threatened to quit over the deal on Thursday, claiming it would "erase the achievements of the war".
In a statement, his party called the ceasefire deal a "capitulation to Hamas" and hit out at what they called the "release of hundreds of murderers".
Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel is treating the ceasefire with Gaza as temporary and retains the right to continue fighting if necessary.
