Israel and Hamas to begin four-day ceasefire early Friday to release hostages

The four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is set to begin at 7 a.m. local time Friday — 12 a.m. EST — with civilian hostages snatched by the terror group expected to be handed over hours later, according to Qatar officials.

The first group of hostages will include 13 Israeli women and children, who will be freed at 4 p.m., with the total number rising to 50 over the four days, ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in the Qatari capital Doha.

Three Americans could be among the hostages released. In addition, increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter as soon as possible, Al-Ansari said.

Up to 150 Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be released from Israeli custody as part of the deal.

The Qatar-mediated deal was first approved by the Israeli cabinet early Wednesday local time and was set to begin Thursday morning, but was delayed as negotiations between Israel and Hamas continued through the morning.

An extra day of ceased hostilities will be added for every 10 hostages Hamas releases, according to the Israeli government.

It marks the first major diplomatic breakthrough in the six weeks of violent fighting since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and dragged about 240 Israeli hostages into Gaza.

More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the sneak attack, while a reported 11,500 people in the Gaza Strip have died during Israel’s retaliation, according to Hamas-run health authorities. 3 Israeli forces have devastated Gaza during their counteroffensive on the ground in the city, which was first hit by artilleryvia REUTERS

Since then, Israel has devastated the Palestinian city with a merciless artillery barrage and intense ground invasion to root out the terror group.

Qatar will be working with the “parties in the conflict” and the Red Cross to help carry out the hostage exchanges, the Arab nation — where Hamas’ leadership lives — said.

On Thursday morning Israel was given a list of the hostages set to be released, Israeli prime minister spokesman Ofir Gendelman announced on Twitter.

“The hostages’ families whose loved ones appear on the list of those who will be released as a first tranche from Hamas’s brutal captivity, have been informed of that. So have the families of the rest of the hostages,” he wrote. 3 Israel has vowed to continue their campaign to eradicate Hamas once the four-day ceasefire comes to a closevia REUTERS 3 Israeli forces remained active in Gaza as the ceasefire was negotiated this week. It will begin Thursday morningAP

President Biden celebrated the announcement of the deal to “secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist group Hamas, in a statement Tuesday night.

Todays deal should bring home additional American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all released, he said.

I look forward to speaking with each of these leaders and staying in close contact as we work to ensure this deal is carried through in its entirety. It is important that all aspects of this deal be fully implemented, Biden added.

Israel agreed to let fuel and humanitarian aid like medical supplies into Gaza as part of the deal, Hamas officials said in a statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the fighting once the ceasefire ended.

We are at war and we will continue the war until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said in a statement played at a recent government meeting. To destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel.