Israel-Hamas truce, hostage release to begin Friday, Qatar says

By Moses Muli

23/11/2023

Truce to begin early Friday and 13 captives held by Hamas to be released later on same day, Qatari official says.

A truce between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas will begin on Friday morning, with civilian captives set to be released from Gaza later in the day, a spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry has said.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said that the temporary truce will begin at 7am (05:00 GMT) and that 13 captives held by Hamas will be released at 4pm (14:00 GMT).

“Those hostages who are from the same families will be put together within the same patch,” he said.

“Every day will include a number of civilians as agreed to total 50 within the four days.”

Palestinians would be released from Israeli prisons as part of the deal, which also includes a cessation of hostilities across Gaza, he said.

Al-Ansari said the Red Cross was coordinating with all parties involved with the release of the captives held in Gaza.

“Our main objective here is the safety of the hostages,” he said.

The armed wing of Hamas confirmed in a statement on Telegram that the truce would start at 7am local time.

The truce would last for four days, during which all military actions by al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, and Israeli forces would cease, the statement added.

The Israeli prime minister’s office said said Israel received an initial list of hostages to be released from Gaza.

“The relevant authorities are checking the details of the list and are presently in contact with all the families,” it said in a statement.