A temporary truce in the Israel-Hamas war took effect early Friday, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
The halt in fighting began at 7 am local time and is expected to last at least four days.
During the truce, Gaza’s ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took in their deadly October 7 attack on Israel.
Here are the 7 latest developments on the Gaza – Palestine conflict;
- A four-day Israel-Hamas truce came into effect Friday at 7 am local time.
- The first batch of 13 Hamas hostages in Gaza is to be released at 4 pm local time today.
- The truce will hold for four days and the temporary cessation of hostilities will cover northern and southern Gaza, Hamas’s military wing said.
- The Israeli military on Thursday confirmed that the director of Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital had been held for questioning over allegations that the facility was used as a Hamas command centre.
- Israel launched attacks on Gaza after Hamas militants crossed the border on October 7 and killed 1,200 Israelis. More than 240 others were taken hostage.
- The death toll of Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 7 rose to 14, 854, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, the Hamas government said Thursday.
- Another 36,000 people have been wounded, according to Gaza authority figures. (France24)