Israel-Hamas war: 4-day ceasefire begins, both sides to swap hostages

The Israel-Hamas four-day truce began at 7 am today after weeks of indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt. The list of captives scheduled to be freed has been sent to the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad. The Qatari spokesperson stated that Mossad will provide the Qataris with a list of Palestinian inmates who are likely to be released.

Doha [Qatar]: The four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which began at 7 am today, has set the ball rolling for for swapping of Israeli civilian hostages and Palestinian prisoners between both sides. The halt in fighting promised some relief for Gaza's 2.3 million people, who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment.

During the truce period, Gaza's ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took during the October 7 strike in southern Israel. Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides will release women and children first. Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.

The truce-for-hostages deal was reached in weeks of intense indirect negotiations, with Qatar, the United States and Egypt serving as mediators. If it holds, it would mark the first significant break in fighting since Israel declared war on Hamas seven weeks ago. The agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

Israel has pushed back against such speculation, saying it was determined to resume its massive offensive once the truce ends. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quoted as telling troops Thursday that their respite will be short and that the war would resume with intensity for at least two more months.

A first group of 13 women and children held by Hamas will be freed Friday afternoon, according to Majed al-Ansari, the spokesman of the Qatari foreign ministry. Three Palestinian prisoners, also women and minors, are to be released for every freed hostage. Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

According to Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry, 13 Israeli women and children captives are set to be released at 4 pm on Friday. The list of captives scheduled to be freed has been sent to the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, he said. The Qatari spokesperson stated that Mossad will provide the Qataris with a list of Palestinian inmates who are likely to be released. "Whenever we have both lists confirmed, this is when we can begin with the process of getting people out," the official went on to say, according to CNN.

The prisoners will be transferred from two jails, Damon and Megiddo, both southeast of Haifa, to the Ofer prison, south of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, for final Red Cross examinations.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said, "Nothing is finalised until it's actually happening. And even amid the process, changes might occur at any moment." The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.

Hamas terrorists seized about 240 hostages during the assault when they surged across Gaza's militarised border into southern Israel to kill around 1,200 people, mostly civilians who were massacred at their homes and at a music festival amid brutal atrocities, The Times of Israel reported. The hostages were of all ages and including young children and elderly people, as well as Thai and Nepali nationals. (with agency inputs)

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