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Gaza ceasefire, hostage release to begin from Friday, says Qatar

According to Qatari officials, a pause in fighting will begin at 7am local time on Friday.

Gaza ceasefire, hostage release to begin from Friday, says Qatar

Representation image (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)

The Israel-Hamas deal to free hostages and release of Israeli hostages will start from Friday, Qtar has said.

According to Qatari officials, a pause in fighting will begin at 7am local time on Friday, both north and south of the Gaza Strip.

In the first batch, Hamas will release 13 hostages and all of them would be women and children. The hostages will be released at around 4 pm in the evening.

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Hamas will not directly handover the hostages to Israel. They will be handed to the Red Cross, who then will deliver them to Israeli officials

Qatar also said that it expects release of Palestinian prisoners “as a result of the release of hostages” by Hamas.

According to Israeli media reports, Israel has received a list of those who will be released first, and that their families have been informed.

As the ceasefire comes into force on Friday, four fuel trucks and 200 aid trucks will also be allowed to enter Gaza on each of the four days.

A deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was announced on Tuesday night.

The deal brokered by Qatar would see a pause in fighting and release of 50 Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.

As per the conditions of the deal, Hamas will release at least 50 Israeli hostages, mainly women and children, in exchange for a four-day pause in fighting, the release of between 150 and 300 Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of fuel into Gaza.

Also, the ceasefire could further extend for additional days in exchange for 10 more hostage releases per extra day, the report claimed.

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