An Israeli soldier stands near his 50 cal machine gun and helmet in a base near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on November 23, 2023. The slogan scratched into the gun reads Killing Machine. On November 24, Israel and Hamas began a ceasefire and prisoner exchange: 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinians prisoners held in Israel. The ceasefire is due to last four days with about 12 hostages released each day. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI | License Photo
A four-day pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas is under way. The long-awaited and oft delayed military stand down started at 7 a.m. local time with both sides warning the pause was only temporary.
Under terms of the deal, which was negotiated by Qatar, Hamas is to release 13 Israeli hostages Friday and another 50 are scheduled to be set free over the four day military pause. Advertisement
Israel is set to release 150 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement.
The hostage release is scheduled to start at 4p.m.
Small arms and mortar fire, as well as an air strike near Gaza were reported in the moments just prior to the beginning of the pause in hostilities, according to the BBC, and some reports said there were explosions and mortar fire fifteen minutes after the deadline. Advertisement
At least 200 trucks carrying medical supplies, fuel and food have traveled to Gaza from Egypt, with daily deliveries of at least 130,000 liters of diesel and cooking gas, officials in Cairo said.
Britain is also looking for ways to get additional aid to the region, according to UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron who met with Palestinian leaders Thursday and promised £30 million in aid for shelter and medical provisions.
In a statement on Friday, Cameron said:
“We are hopeful that today will see the release of hostages, and I am urging all parties to continue to work towards the release of every hostage. A pause will also allow access for life-saving aid to the people of Gaza.
It is vital to protect civilians from harm, and we are urgently looking at all avenues to get aid into Gaza, including land, maritime and air routes. The new pledge will double the amount of additional aid Britain has committed to Gaza since the conflict began in October,” Cameron said.
Getting to the pause in military action was halting and is scheduled to be short-lived, but is extremely welcome in Gaza, as conditions, even in the city’s hospitals, have become dire. But officials warn there has been no agreement on the larger issues plaguing the region. Advertisement
“The war is not over yet,” the Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a social media post.
“The humanitarian pause is temporary. The northern Gaza Strip is a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move north. For your safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south,” he wrote in Arabic to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
“It is only possible to move from the north of the Strip to the south via Salah al-Din Road. The movement of residents from the south of the Strip to the north is not allowed and dangerous,” he continued.
While it is not clear who will be among the first group of hostages released, there has been widespread speculation that Avigail Idan, an American child who turns four on Friday, will be among them.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” U.S. President Joe Biden said about the child’s potential release.
Avigail was kidnapped from kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7 during the Hamas attack on southern Israel, according to the Jerusalem Post. Her parents, Roee and Smadar Idan, were killed while her two older siblings reportedly survived by hiding in closets.
No soldiers are expected to be among the women released, official reports have said. Advertisement
