Qatar said Thursday an announcement about the start of a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas and the release of hostages and prisoners could come later in the day, after delays in implementing the agreement also meant to help humanitarian aid reach the Gaza Strip.
"The truce agreement that was reached will be concluded in the coming hours," Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said.
Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said in a statement late Wednesday that negotiations were continuing and that the first hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would not be released until at least Friday.
Under the deal, Israel is set to pause its attacks on Gaza for four days. Hamas is due to release 50 women and children it seized during an October attack on Israel, and Israel is expected to free 150 Palestinian prisoners.
None of the identities of those being freed has been disclosed, but U.S. officials said they believe some of the nine American hostages believed to be held by Hamas would be among those released.
Israel’s military said Thursday it carried out aerial attacks on 300 Hamas targets during the past day, including tunnels, warehouses and anti-tank positions used by the militant group.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ensure Hamas is unable to attack Israel in the future. He said in a news conference late Wednesday that following the end of a cease-fire period, Israel’s military would resume its campaign in Gaza.
"I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals," Netanyahu said.
Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after the U.S.-designated terrorist group launched a cross-border attack on October 7. Israel said 1,200 people were killed that day and about 240 hostages taken back to Gaza.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 12,000 Palestinians, including at least 5,000 children, have been killed in Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his appreciation to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar and President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt for helping broker the deal. Biden praised “the commitment” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the brief stop in the fighting “to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza.”
But Netanyahu said Israel would resume the war after the truce and keep fighting "until we achieve all our goals," including the destruction of Hamas' fighting and governing abilities and the return of all hostages.
Several countries, including Britain, France, China and Russia, also welcomed the agreement.
Qatar's Tamim said he hoped the deal would eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire and "serious talks" on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel said the four-day stop in fighting would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it could assist with any release.
Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be let out as part of the deal, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses. Under Israeli law, the public has 24 hours to object to any release.
The Israeli military says it has detained more than 1,850 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began, mostly suspected Hamas members. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed there, mainly during battles triggered by army raids. Attacks by Jewish settlers have also surged.
The pause in fighting will also allow for more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza. Such assistance has been sharply curtailed since the fighting began.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 80 trucks reached the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday, bringing the total during the past month to 1,479 truckloads of aid. The agency said an average of 10,000 truckloads of commercial and humanitarian commodities were reaching Gaza each month prior to the conflict.
The United Nations said more than 1.7 million people have been displaced within Gaza, including 945,000 people staying at over-capacity U.N.-run shelters.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
