Israel-Hamas truce to begin on Friday, with hostage release agreed

A truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will start on Friday at 7 a.m., with the first batch of hostages to be released at 4 p.m., a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry said.

Qatar says the truce includes a comprehensive ceasefire in both north and south Gaza, and that it expects Palestinians to be released from Israeli jails as a result of the release of hostages from Gaza. The Qatari spokesperson also confirmed that humanitarian aid will start flowing into Gaza as soon as the truce begins.

The deal, facilitated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, is to take effect in stages that can be extended and broadened. It is also intended to provide aid to Gaza's 2.4 million residents.