On Friday morning, Israel and Hamas started a four-day truce. Later in the day, the militants will release the first group of 13 Israeli women and child hostages. This is the first break in the war that has devastated the besieged Gaza.
Additional aid would start flowing into Gaza during the truce. 200 trucks of aid would enter Gaza daily. When the truce starts, 130,000 litres of diesel and four trucks of gas will be delivered every day to Gaza, Egypt said.
On its Telegram channel, Hamas assured that all hostilities from its forces would cease. The military of Israel said its troops would stay behind a ceasefire line inside Gaza. However, it has not given any details of its position.
Both sides have signalled that the pause would be temporary before the fighting starts again.
“These will be complicated days and nothing is certain,” Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, reported Reuters.
“Control over northern Gaza is the first step of a long war, and we are preparing for the next stages,” he added. Israel had received an initial list of hostages to be freed and was in touch with families, the prime minister’s office said.
Devastating attack on Gaza
Israel launched its devastating attack on Gaza after gunmen from Hamas burst across the border fence on October 7. The attack killed 1,200 people and seized nearly 240 hostages, reported Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel has showered bombs on the tiny enclave, killing some 14,000 Gazans (around 40% of them children), according to Palestinian health authorities.
On Thursday, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said “People are exhausted and are losing hope in humanity.”
(With inputs from Reuters)