A four-day truce between Hamas and Israel begins

A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas officially commenced on Friday at 7:00 local time (5:00 UTC). The truce aims to facilitate the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian detainees. The "humanitarian truce" was mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, marking the forty-ninth day of the war between Israel and Hamas. The truce agreement was reached on Wednesday.

 

The release of the first batch of hostages (13 women and children) is expected around 16:00 local time (14:00 UTC). Fifty hostages will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in stages during the truce period.

 

Hamas and other Palestinian factions have been holding approximately 240 hostages in Gaza since the attack on October 7th.

 

 

 

AFP