What we know: Delayed Israel-Hamas truce deal
A soldier walks in front of of images of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel, during a protest to ask for their release in Tel Aviv on November 22, 2023.
A four-day Gaza truce will now start on Friday, mediator Qatar and the armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas said after a day-long delay.
Israel and Hamas, which have been at war since October 7, announced a breakthrough deal on Wednesday allowing at least 50 hostages and scores of Palestinian prisoners to be freed.
The agreement is also intended to provide aid to Gaza's 2.4 million residents who face shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel after Israel tightened a siege of the territory.
The deal, facilitated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, is to take effect in stages that can be extended and broadened. Here is what we know so far:
7am Friday start
Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said that the truce with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip would begin on Friday at 7:00 am (0500 GMT).
"The truce applies for four days, starting from Friday morning, accompanied by the cessation of all military actions from the Qassam Brigades and the Palestinian resistance, as well as the Zionist enemy throughout the truce period," it said.
The deal had been expected to take effect on Thursday but was delayed after a last-minute hitch.
Qatar confirmed the start time for the pause in fighting and said that an exchange of hostages and prisoners would follow hours later.
Hostage-prisoner exchange
An estimated 240 hostages were abducted during the unprecedented October 7 attack by Hamas that Israel says killed about 1,200 people in the country's south.
A first group of civilian hostages will be handed over at around 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Friday, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said.
Thirteen people would be freed initially, all women and children from the same families, Ansari told a news conference in Doha.
Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would also be released on Friday, he said, adding a list of inmate names had been approved, without saying how many.
An Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP that the Palestinians would be released on Friday evening.
Who will be freed?
Hamas says 50 women and children held in Gaza will be released in exchange for three times as many Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli prime minister's office said that authorities were in contact with the families of all the hostages being held in Gaza after receiving "a first list of names".
It did not immediately specify who was on the list.
A senior US official said earlier that three Americans, including three-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, were among those expected to be freed.
Qatar said no military prisoners were among those to be released.
Israel published the names of 300 Palestinian detainees who could be freed -- mostly teenage boys.
The release of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails would start with those who have been detained the longest, according to Hamas official Bassem Naim.
An Israeli official told AFP that "most prisoners are from the West Bank but five are from Gaza, so they will be taken back home, probably entering Gaza from the south."
Israel has said if successful, a second exchange could see 150 more Palestinian prisoners freed in exchange for another 50 hostages during an extended truce.
Aid 'surge' planned
The European Commission is planning a "surge" in aid deliveries to Gaza thanks to the pause, its president Ursula von der Leyen said.
Qatar said the deal would include "the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs".
Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said at least 200-300 aid trucks would enter, including eight carrying fuel and gas.
Israel says war not over
Although Qatari mediators held out hope the deal could lead to a more durable ceasefire, Israeli officials stressed they intended to resume their campaign as soon as the hostage releases are over.
Israel pledged to "continue the war in order to return home all of the hostages, complete the elimination of Hamas and ensure that there will be no new threat to the State of Israel from Gaza".
Ahead of the cabinet meeting that approved the deal, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said he had won assurances it would not spell the end of the war.
