1 of 4 | Israeli soldiers guard a post in the Zeitoun district on the southern outskirts of Gaza City on Friday following a four-day cease-fire that began early in the morning. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI |
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Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A temporary truce in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza came into effect early Friday with the first group of hostages abducted from southern Israel on Oct. 7 due to be released in the afternoon.
The 13 women and children will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross at 9 a.m. EST to be followed shortly afterward by the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, according to officials in Qatar who brokered the deal.
At least 50 hostages and 150 Palestinians -- mostly women and minors -- are expected to be released over the four days of the truce with Israel offering to extend it by an extra day for every 10 additional hostages released by Hamas.
Israel Defense Forces confirmed it had halted military operations in Gaza at the agreed 7 a.m. deadline local time but said it continued its assault against Hamas targets right down to the wire.
"The IDF has completed its operational preparations according to the defensive positions of the pause," the military wrote on X.
"Earlier this morning, our troops destroyed a network of underground terrorist tunnels and tunnel shafts in the area of the Shifa Hospital. In addition, over the last day, our troops struck various terrorist targets from the land, air and sea."
Rocket sirens sounded overnight in Israeli towns bordering Gaza and there were reports of widespread bombardment across the Gaza strip ahead of the truce coming into effect.
However, the peace appeared to be holding with no serious violations, although there were some explosions and small arms and mortar fire immediately before and after the pause came into effect, according to the BBC.
The flow of badly needed humanitarian aid included in the deal began very shortly after with eight fuel tankers entering Gaza through the Rafah Crossing, according to Israel.
"This morning, 4 tankers of fuel and 4 tankers of cooking gas -- designated for operating essential humanitarian infrastructure -- were transferred from Egypt to U.N. humanitarian aid organizations in southern Gaza, via the Rafah Crossing," IDF said in a post on X about 40 minutes after the truce took effect.
The fuel is the first Israel has allowed into Gaza since Hamas' Oct. 7 incursion into southern Israel in which about 1,200 people were massacred -- apart from 6,000 gallons delivered to the UN. Agency for Palestine Refugees on Nov. 15 -- due to fears it would be co-opted by Hamas for military purposes.
Britain is also looking for ways to get additional aid to the region, according to Foreign Secretary David Cameron who met with Palestinian leaders Thursday promising $38 million in aid for shelter and medical provisions.
"We are hopeful that today will see the release of hostages, and I am urging all parties to continue to work towards the release of every hostage. A pause will also allow access for life-saving aid to the people of Gaza," Cameron said in a news release Friday.
"It is vital to protect civilians from harm, and we are urgently looking at all avenues to get aid into Gaza, including land, maritime and air routes. The new pledge will double the amount of additional aid Britain has committed to Gaza since the conflict began in October."
Getting to the pause in the fighting was halting and remains, for now, short-lived with Israeli officials that the issues that sparked the conflict have not been resolved.
"The war is not over yet," with Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee warning in a social media post that Gazans currently in the south of the strip after fleeing the fighting in the north, should not attempt to return there.
"The humanitarian pause is temporary. The northern Gaza Strip is a dangerous war zone and it is forbidden to move north. For your safety, you must remain in the humanitarian zone in the south," he wrote in Arabic to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
"It is only possible to move from the north of the Strip to the south via Salah al-Din Road. The movement of residents from the south of the Strip to the north is not allowed and dangerous," he continued.
While it remains unclear who will be included in the first group of hostages released, there has been widespread speculation that Abigail Idan, an American child who turns four on Friday, will be among them.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed," U.S. President Joe Biden said about the child's potential release.
Abigail was kidnapped from kibbutz Kfar Aza, according to the Jerusalem Post. Her parents, Roee and Smadar Idan, were killed while her two older siblings survived by hiding in closets.
No soldiers are expected to be among the women hostages released, official reports have said.
