Gaza truce due to start; release of Hamas captives, detained Palestinians to follow
After prolonged negotiations and a delay of at least 24 hours, a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas is due to begin shortly, with captives held in Gaza to be released in exchange for Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons.
The pause in fighting is due to begin at 7am (05:00 GMT) in the Palestinian territories and Israel, silencing weapons that have raged since Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7.
More than 14,800 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas’s attacks stands at about 1,200.
Israel intensified its attacks ahead of the pause in fighting, including an air strike that killed at least 27 people at a UN school.