A four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict began on Friday morning, marking the first significant relief, where hostages are set to be released in exchange for prisoners, and aid trucks are entering Gaza.
A four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war began on Friday, with hostages set to be released in exchange for prisoners in the first major reprieve in seven weeks of war that have claimed thousands of lives.
The two sides had agreed to silence guns and stop bombings from 7:00 am (0500 GMT).
The armed wing of Hamas agreed to the truce deal, which is also intended to provide aid to Gazans struggling to survive with shortages of food, water, and fuel.
As part of the agreement, 13 women and children held hostage in Gaza are due to be freed at 4:00 pm (1400 GMT), followed by several Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, according to Qatari mediators.
Over the four days, at least 50 hostages are expected to be released, leaving an estimated 190 in the hands of Palestinian militants. In exchange, 150 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released.
An Egyptian security source told AFP that Israeli security officials, International Red Cross-Red Crescent staff, and an Egyptian team would deploy to Rafah, on the Egypt-Gaza border, to receive the hostages, who will then be flown to Israel.
For Gaza’s two million-plus residents, the deal brings a promise of respite from weeks of sustained Israeli bombardment.
At dawn, thousands of people who had fled to areas near Gaza’s border with Egypt were preparing to return to their villages.
However, Israeli warplanes over southern Gaza dropped leaflets warning people not to head back to the north.
Around 15 minutes after the truce began, sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded in several communities along Israel’s border with Gaza, the Israeli military said, without providing further details.
No end
Governments around the world have welcomed the agreement, with some expressing hope it will lead to a lasting end to the war.
“This cannot be just a pause before the massacre starts all over again,” Riyad Mansour, Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, told the Security Council.
Israeli officials, however, say the truce will be only temporary.
“We are not ending the war. We will continue until we are victorious,” Israel’s chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, told troops he visited in Gaza.
Katrine Dige Houmøller, with AFP
