Israel says Gaza ceasefire will start on Friday at the earliest
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More news: The ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas, initially agreed to being on Thursday morning local time, will not take place before Friday, Reuters reported.
What they said: Israel's National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement: "The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly. The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday."
Israel and Hamas agree four-day ceasefire
The news: Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza for a minimum of four days, in a truce that will allow aid into the war zone and free at least 50 hostages held by Hamas militants and 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, according to Reuters. It will start at 10am local time (7pm AEDT) on Thursday, Hamas announced.
The numbers: Israel said the ceasefire could be extended if more hostages were freed, and a Palestinian source said up to 100 hostages in total could be released by the end of the month. Around 239 people from 26 different countries are thought to be held by Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip, while four have been released to date.
The context: The truce, brokered by Qatar, the US and Egypt, is expected to take effect Thursday morning local time, according to Egypt’s state-run Qahera TV channel. Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that 50 hostages would be released over a four-day period. Its statement said the staggered release would be at a rate of at least 10 per day, while the truce may be extended on a day-by-day basis. Meanwhile, Israel's justice ministry released a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners who could be freed as part of the deal.
What they said: White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said: "It's not going to get all the hostages out, but it does get these first 50 or so, all women and children... We'll start to see them come start to get released over the next 24 hours or so."
Commenting on the deal, US President Joe Biden said on X: "Now, it's important that all aspects are fully implemented."
