The armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas said on Sunday it would observe a ceasefire in Gaza as long as Israel does the same, hours after the truce took effect.
"We and the resistance factions declare our full commitment to the ceasefire agreement, while stressing that all of this is contingent on the enemy's commitment," said Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam armed wing, in a video message.
Israel and mediating nation Qatar confirmed on Sunday a long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza had come into effect after an almost three-hour delay as Israel awaited the names of the three hostages Hamas would free initially.
Under the ceasefire plan, a total of 33 hostages taken by fighters during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel will be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day phase.
Obeida also warned that Israel's "continued occupation of our land will affect the entire region and the world".
He added that the international community's involvement in what he called the occupation of Gaza "will be a disaster for the occupation and all its supporters".
