The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, on Thurrsday confirmed that a truce with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip would “begin on Friday at 7:00am”, AFP reports.
“The truce applies for four days, starting from Friday morning, accompanied by the cessation of all military actions from the Qassam Brigades and the Palestinian resistance, as well as the Zionist enemy throughout the truce period.”
Over the four days, it said 50 hostages, women and males aged 18 or under, would be freed, with three Palestinian prisoners to be released for each of them.
Earlier on Thursday, Israel said a four-day Gaza truce and hostage release will not start until at least Friday, stalling a breakthrough deal to pause the war with Hamas. A Palestinian official said Thursday that a delay in implementation of a truce in the Gaza Strip between Israeli forces and Hamas was due to “last minute” details over which hostages would be released and how.
The truce, widely expected to go into force on Thursday but delayed during the night, had been put back over “the names of the Israeli hostages and the modalities of their release”, said the official, who has knowledge of the negotiation process.
