DOHA: A truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will start on Friday at 7am, with the first batch of hostages to be released at 4pm, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Thursday (Nov 23).
Majed Al-Ansari told reporters in Doha the lists of all civilians that would be released from Gaza had been agreed.
The agreement and release of hostages were announced on Wednesday morning, with Israel later saying in a statement overnight that these would be delayed until at least Friday.
Israel also said the truce could last beyond the initial four days as long as the militants free at least 10 hostages per day.
A Palestinian source has said a second wave of releases could allow as many as 100 hostages to go free by month’s end.
Both sides have said they will go back to fighting once the truce is over.
Israel launched its war in Gaza after gunmen from Hamas burst across the border fence, killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, more than 14,000 Gazans have been killed by Israeli bombardment, around 40 per cent of them children, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled territory.
Source: CNA
