Israel-Gaza war: ceasefire, hostage release to start at 7am local time on Friday
- The first batch of 13 civilian hostages – all women and children from the same families – will be handed over at around 4pm on the same day
- The deal, facilitated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, is to take effect in stages that can be extended, and will provide aid to Gaza’s 2.4 million residents
A Gaza truce and hostage release will start on Friday morning, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman said.
“The pause will begin at 7am (0500 GMT) on Friday … and the first batch of civilian hostages will be handed over at around 4pm (1400 GMT) on the same day,” Majed Al-Ansari said on Thursday.
Thirteen people would be freed initially, all women and children from the same families, Ansari said.
“Obviously, every day will include a number of civilians as agreed to total 50 within the four days,” the spokesperson added.
When asked about the hostage release, Ansari said “there will be a period of time where the skies will be clear, and that would allow for the hostage release to happen in a safe environment,” explaining that there would be no drones from any country during the process.