A four-day cease-fire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas will begin on Friday morning after a one-day delay, which would be followed by the release of the first batch of hostages held captive by the Palestinian militant group, Qatar announced.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told reporters in Doha on Thursday that the truce will enter into effect at 7 a.m. local time, and 13 captives will be released at 4 p.m.
“Extensive meetings and calls took place in Doha to discuss the implementation plan of the cease-fire with the participation of our Egyptian counterparts and both parties,” Ansari said.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had received an “initial” list of names of abductees expected to be released under the agreement.
