A high-level meeting to establish mechanisms for implementing the ceasefire agreement in Gaza is taking place in Cairo on Friday, and hundreds of trucks in North Sinai are preparing to deliver aid to the strip once the dust settles on Sunday morning.

The first phase, spanning a 42-day ceasefire, would see the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, U.S. officials said.

Egypt, Qatar, and the US issued a joint statement on Wednesday on the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas for the exchange of prisoners and detainees and the establishment of sustainable calm,

Egypt calls for immediate implementation of a Gaza ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas, following mediator efforts by the US, Qatar, and Egypt. Talks are set to commence in Cairo to ensure the deal's execution.

After months of negotiations between Hamas and Israel -- with the United States, Egypt and Qatar serving as intermediaries -- a ceasefire negotiation has been reached in the war in Gaza. The agreement will go into effect on Sunday,

Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. have led a monthslong effort to try to achieve a halt in the fighting, with talks Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, focusing on the last details of a deal. Hamas said it was awaiting maps from Israel showing which parts of Gaza it would withdraw its troops from in the initial stages of the ceasefire.

ARISH, Egypt, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian authorities have been intensifying aid delivery efforts in the North Sinai province bordering Gaza in preparation for the reopening of the Rafah crossing, the only channel linking the Gaza Strip with Egypt.

U.S., Qatari and Egyptian mediators shuttled between the Israeli and Hamas delegations in Doha on Tuesday, where officials said a deal to halt the war is near.

Key mediator Qatar said on Wednesday that 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would be released in the first stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory.

Residents and authorities in the Palestinian enclave told Reuters about Israel’s military escalated attacks on Gaza after the truce was reached on Wednesday.

The deal now goes to the full Cabinet of ministers for final sign-off. It is expected to OK the ceasefire, which could start as soon as Sunday.