Gaza ceasefire to start Friday as Israel continues to hit Hamas targets

Hamas has said the first group of hostages - including 13 women and children - will be released by Friday afternoon, as Geraint Vincent and Rohit Kachroo report

  • A four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will begin at 7am on Friday, one day after it had originally been announced for.

  • Hamas has agreed to release 50 hostages to Israel as part of the deal, which will also see 150 Palestinian prisoners set free.

  • More than 13,300 Palestinians have died since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

  • At least 1,200 people were killed in Israel following Hamas' October 7 attack in the south of the country.

A four-day ceasefire in Gaza will begin on Friday morning, Qatar has said, as Israel continued to strike Hamas targets into the night.

Heavy airstrikes are creating deep challenges for hospitals in the enclave ahead of the pause in fighting, which is due to begin on Friday at 7am local time (5am GMT).

Hamas, as part of the deal, has also agreed to release 50 hostages to Israel in return for 150 Palestinian prisoners - mostly teenagers who have been detained for minor offences.

The spokesman said the first group of hostages - including 13 women and children - will be released by Friday afternoon.

Israel has notified the families of the hostages set to be released on Friday, Gal Hirsch the country's coordinator for hostages and missing persons, said in a statement.

Mr Hirsch said: "liaison officers have informed all of those families whose loved ones appear on the list, as well as all of the hostages' families."

ITV News taken into the Gaza hospital Israel claims Hamas militants used as base
Smoke rises from a building in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli airstrike. Credit: AP

Women and children will be released by both sides first, and Israel has said that the ceasefire would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas.

A list of 300 Palestinian prisoners eligible to be released has been published by the Israeli Justice Ministry, in the wake of the diplomatic breakthrough.

Under Israeli law, the list was published to give the public 24 hours to object to any prisoner release.

Qatar, meanwhile, has said the ceasefire would allow a "larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid" to enter Gaza, including fuel, but gave no details on exact numbers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war once the truce expires, with the goal of destroying Hamas' military and governing capabilities.

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Hamas has agreed to release 50 hostages to Israel. Credit: AP

On Thursday, UK Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron visited Israel and was shown around Kibbutz Be'eri - scene of some of the worst violence during Hamas' assault on October 7.

Israel's Defence Forces (IDF) said in an update that it struck 300 targets in the Gaza Strip during the previous 24 hours, adding it launched attacks "from the air in the last day, including operational headquarters, underground combat tunnels, IED warehouses, IED production sites and anti-tank launching positions".

At least 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel when Hamas launched its surprise attack.

Israel has relentlessly bombarded the territory ever since and, currently, more than 13,300 Palestinians have died, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

The Ministry says the figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north, where services and communication largely broke down earlier this month.

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