Explainer | Israel-Gaza war: what are the details of the truce, hostage deal?
- Gaza ceasefire begins on Friday to let some hostages out, humanitarian aid in
- Breakthrough four-day truce was facilitated by Qatar with help from Egypt and US
Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas started a four-day truce on Friday with the first batch of hostages to be released later in the day.
What are the details of the deal?
Under the Israel-Hamas deal, the two sides agreed to a four-day truce so that 50 women and children under the age of 19 taken hostage could be freed in return for 150 Palestinian women and teenagers in Israeli detention.
The 50 hostages, among about 240 taken by Hamas in their October 7 raid on Israel, are expected to be released in batches, probably about a dozen a day, during the four-day ceasefire.
Those involved in the deal have described the break in hostilities as “a humanitarian pause”. The pause will be extended by a day for each additional batch of 10 hostages released, Israel said in a statement.
Hamas said Israel had agreed to halt air traffic over the north of Gaza from 10am until 4pm local time each day of the truce and to halt all air traffic over the south for the entire period.
The group said Israel agreed not to attack or arrest anyone in Gaza, and people can move freely along Salah al-Din Street, the main road along which many Palestinians have fled northern Gaza where Israel launched its ground invasion.
Qatar’s chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, said that under the deal there would be “no attack whatsoever. No military movements, no expansion, nothing”.
When does the deal start?
