A ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas took effect on Sunday after a nearly three-hour delay, reported Al-Jazeera.

As part of the agreement, Hamas has provided mediators with the names of three Israeli hostages who are set to be released on the first day of the ceasefire’s implementation in Gaza.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ceasefire would not begin until Hamas released the names of the captives. The Palestinian group had attributed the delay to technical reasons.

The Israeli army on Sunday continued strikes across Gaza during the three-hour delay in implementing the ceasefire, killing at least 19 persons, the BBC reported, citing figures from the Hamas-run civil defence agency.

The truce eventually began at 11.15 local time, or 2.45 pm as per Indian Standard Time.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees said that it has 4,000 truckloads of aid ready to enter Gaza, with half of them carrying food and flour.

“Attacks on aid convoys in the Gaza Strip could decline as humanitarian relief comes in following a ceasefire,” the agency’s head Philippe Lazzarini said.

The agreement with Palestinian militant group Hamas will pause the conflict that started 15 months ago.

On Wednesday, Qatar announced that Israel and Hamas had reached a ceasefire and hostage deal. Doha was the key mediator in the negotiations.

The Israeli Cabinet approved the deal on Saturday morning. While 24 Cabinet ministers voted in favour of the agreement, eight voted against the proposal.

The first six-week phase which began on Sunday involves the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages for 737 Palestinian detainees.

This phase will also see the Israeli military withdrawing from all populated areas of Gaza and several hundred lorries with humanitarian aid being allowed into the besieged territory.

Negotiations for the second phase are scheduled to begin on the 16th day. This aims for a “permanent end to the war”. It would also include the release of the remaining hostages, including men, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The second phase also entails the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gazan territory.

The third and final phase would include the reconstruction of Gaza and the return of any remaining bodies of the hostages.

Israel’s military offensive against Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas launched an incursion into southern Israel, killing 1,200 persons and taking more than 200 hostages. Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza since then, killing more than 47,500 persons, including over 17,400 children.

Some of the hostages were released in November 2023 as part of a brief ceasefire deal and some were killed as a result of the war.