Palestinian prisoners cheer after being released from the Israeli Ofer military facility in the occupied West Bank in exchange for hostages freed by Hamas in Gaza, on November 24, 2023. (Photo | AFP)
Palestinian prisoners cheer after being released from the Israeli Ofer military facility in the occupied West Bank in exchange for hostages freed by Hamas in Gaza, on November 24, 2023. (Photo | AFP)
LIVE

Israel-Hamas war LIVE | Four-day truce begins in Gaza; Israeli hostages, Palestinian prisoners released

The truce spells temporary relief for Gaza's two million-plus residents after seven weeks of sustained Israeli bombardment and a 'total siege' imposed by the far-right Netanyahu government.

A group of 13 Israeli hostages have been released after a four-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war began on Friday morning in Gaza.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said 12 Thai hostages kidnapped by Palestinian militants during Hamas's October 7 raids into Israel were also released on Friday, hours after a truce in the Israel-Hamas war began.

On the other hand, A Palestinian NGO said on Friday that 39 prisoners had been released by Israeli authorities under a truce agreement to pause the fighting in Gaza.

It was done as part of an agreement that Qatar helped broker, in the first major reprieve in seven weeks of war that have claimed thousands of lives. The deal also includes the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, which was to take place later Friday.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel who fear for their loved ones taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

Starting from 7:00 am (0500 GMT), the pause was set to silence guns and stop bombings in a conflict that erupted after Hamas's murderous raids into Israel on October 7.

Over the four days, at least 50 hostages are expected to be released, leaving an estimated 190 in the hands of Palestinian militant groups. Meanwhile, 150 Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released.

The Hamas-led government in Gaza says the war has so far killed about 15,000 people and displaced countless more. The exact number of casualties is impossible to independently confirm, but it is clear that for many Palestinian and Israeli families, the pause in violence has already come too late.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will press ahead with the war after a cease-fire expires. Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas.

UPDATES FROM DAY 49 OF THE WAR

TOP DEVELOPMENTS

  1. 39 Palestinian prisoners were released from prison by Israel under the truce agreement

  2. Qatar says 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino were freed and handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas

  3. ICRC says that it began a 'multi-day operation' to reunite Gaza hostages, West Bank detainees with families

  4. Israeli army withdrew from Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital after truce

  5. Israeli security forces fire tear gas at Palestinians in West Bank waiting to greet prisoners

  6. Israel's foreign minister says it will resume war after truce ends

  7. Israeli troops fire at Palestinians attempting to return to northern Gaza, killing two

  8. Israeli forces kill a 12-year-old boy in the West Bank

United Nations says 137 aid trucks unloaded in Gaza since truce started

  • AFP reported that a total of 137 trucks carrying food, water, medicine and other essentials have been unloaded in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas truce began Friday.

  • This was the biggest humanitarian convoy to enter Gaza since the war started on October 7, the UN office for humanitarian affairs said in a statement.

    • Palestine NGO says 39 released from Israeli prison under truce agreement

  • A Palestinian NGO said Friday that 39 prisoners had been released by Israeli authorities under a truce agreement to pause the fighting in Gaza after 13 hostages from Israel had been handed over, AFP reports,

  • A total of 28 prisoners were released in the occupied West Bank, while the other 11 were on their way to annexed east Jerusalem.

    • READ FULL STORY HERE

    Qatar says 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino freed by Hamas

  • Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari confirmed the release of 39 women and children detained in Israeli prisons.

    • ICRC says that it began 'multi-day operation' to reunite Gaza hostages, West Bank detainees with families

    13 Israel hostages handed over to Red Cross: Reports

  • According to reports from Times of Israel, the first group of 13 Israeli hostages have been released and handed over to aid workers from the International Committee for Red Cross.

  • An Israel statement says that the released hostages are on their way to crossing into Egypt, through the Rafah border crossing.

    • Israeli security forces stand next to ambulances on stand-by outside the helipad of Tel Aviv’s Schneider medical centre, amid preparations for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners later in the day. (Photo | AFP)
    Israeli security forces stand next to ambulances on stand-by outside the helipad of Tel Aviv’s Schneider medical centre, amid preparations for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners later in the day. (Photo | AFP)

    READ FULL STORY HERE

    Israeli army withdraws from Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital after truce: Hamas ministry

  • Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza's largest hospital Al-Shifa on Friday, the Hamas-run health ministry said, on the first day of a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian militants.

  • Hamas health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra, said the Israeli military had withdrawn but the people remaining at Al-Shifa were in a battered complex whose "main generator is destroyed along with numerous buildings".

    • READ FULL STORY HERE

    12 Hostages released, says Thai prime minister

  • Twelve Thai nationals were released in Gaza on Friday, and Thai Embassy officials are on the way to pick them up, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

  • It wasn’t immediately clear whether they have already passed through the Rafah crossing into Egypt or were still in Gaza.

  • Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that 39 Thai citizens were killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel and 26 were taken hostage.

    • READ FULL STORY

    Israeli security forces fire tear gas at Palestinians in West Bank waiting to greet prisoners

  • Israeli security forces are firing tear gas at a crowd of Palestinians gathered to greet prisoners who are to be released from Israeli jails as part of a truce between Israel and Hamas, AP journalists in the West Bank witnessed.

  • Tear gas was fired to push away crowds from the vicinity of Ofer prison, from where the prisoners are to be released later on Friday.

  • Palestinian authorities have released a list of 39 Palestinian prisoners expected to be released on Friday, including 24 women and 15 teenage boys, in exchange for 13 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Israeli security forces fire tear gas at Palestinians in West Bank waiting to greet prisonersIn all, 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed during the four-day truce.

    • Israel's foreign minister says it will resume war after truce ends

  • Israel’s foreign minister said Friday that Israel will resume the war against Hamas after a temporary cease-fire ends.

  • “Israel will continue its war on Hamas and we will not stop until we achieve our two main goals, overthrowing the rule of Hamas and returning all the abductees back to us, safe and sound,” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Friday.

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have made similar pledges.

  • However, the government is under intense public pressure to bring all hostages home, which might make a resumption of the war exceedingly difficult.

    • Israeli troops fire at Palestinians attempting to return to northern Gaza, killing two

  • Israeli troops fatally shot two Palestinians and wounded 11 others as they headed toward the main combat zone in northern Gaza despite warnings by the Israeli army to stay put.

  • News Agency Associated Press' journalist saw the two bodies and the wounded as they arrived at a hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah in the southern half of Gaza. The injured had been shot in the legs.

  • Friday’s shooting came hours after the Israeli military warned hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who sought refuge in southern Gaza not to attempt to return to their homes in the northern half of the territory, the focus of Israel’s ground offensive.

  • The military had dropped leaflets on southern Gaza saying that returning to northern Gaza is prohibited and dangerous.

    • Palestinians wounded by the Israeli army as they tried to cross back to the northern Gaza Strip are treated in al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah on Friday Nov. 24, 2023.(AP Photo)
    Palestinians wounded by the Israeli army as they tried to cross back to the northern Gaza Strip are treated in al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah on Friday Nov. 24, 2023.(AP Photo)

    Israeli forces kill a 12-year-old boy in the West Bank

  • Israeli forces shot and killed a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said Friday, as violence surges in the territory under the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

  • The boy was killed Thursday in the village of Beita near the flashpoint city of Nablus in the northern West Bank, the officials said.

  • The Israeli military said Palestinians threw stones when soldiers entered the village and that troops responded with live fire. The military said it was looking into the circumstances of the boy’s death.

    • Palestinian authorities release list of 39 prisoners expected to be freed

  • Palestinian authorities have released a list of 39 Palestinian prisoners expected to be released on Friday, including 24 women and 15 teenage boys, in exchange for 13 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

  • The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, said the 39 detainees from the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem will be delivered to the International Committee of the Red Cross at Israel’s Ofer Prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

  • Their release is to take place after 4 p.m. local time (1400 GMT), when Hamas is due to return the 13 Israeli hostages to Israel.

    • UK doubles humanitarian aid to Gaza

  • The UK will double its humanitarian aid to Gaza with a further £30 million (€34.5 million) for Palestinian civilians affected by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, foreign minister David Cameron said Friday.

  • Cameron met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday and is due to hold discussions with Palestinian officials on Friday, for talks on how UK efforts can help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, his office said.

  • "I can announce new £30 million of funding which will be spent on vital aid such as shelter and medical provisions," Cameron said in a statement.

  • "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."

  • London has already released two tranches of aid: £10 million and £20 million last month.

  • Cameron will also discuss supporting the Palestinian Authority

    • Gaza war hinders Israel's budding thaw with Morocco

  • Israel's fledgling rapprochement with Morocco, which had made steady progress in the three years since the two governments normalised relations, has been thrown into reverse by the deadly conflict in Gaza.

  • Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have returned to the streets of the North African nation, as the death toll from some seven weeks of Israeli bombardment in Gaza has risen to nearly 15,000.

  • The Israeli liaison office in Rabat was reportedly evacuated last month amid security concerns and Israeli visitors have disappeared from tourism hubs.

    • Lebanon border calm as Israel-Hamas truce takes effect, Hezbollah yet to say okay to truce agreement

  • Calm returned to Lebanon's southern border Friday as a temporary truce took effect in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, according to Lebanese state media and the Israeli military.

  • Hezbollah has yet to say whether it will comply with the terms of the agreement that was brokered by Qatar with help from Egypt and the United States.

    • "A precarious calm reigned on the southern border, with the humanitarian truce in Gaza coming into effect at 7:00 in the morning (0500 GMT)," Lebanon's official National News Agency reported.

    ‘Everyone in return for everyone,’ Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader on release of hostages

  • The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said Friday that Israeli soldiers among the 240 hostages held by militant groups in Gaza will only be released in exchange for all the Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

  • In a televised speech on the first day of what is meant to be a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war, Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhaleh said that “the enemy’s military prisoners will not be released without the freedom of our prisoners and this is linked to the end of the aggression.”

  • Close to 7,000 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel on security charges, including about 1,800 arrested since the start of the war.

    • ‘Everyone in return for everyone,’ Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader says

  • The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said Friday that Israeli soldiers among the 240 hostages held by militant groups in Gaza will only be released in exchange for all the Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

  • In a televised speech on the first day of what is meant to be a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war, Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhaleh said that “the enemy’s military prisoners will not be released without the freedom of our prisoners and this is linked to the end of the aggression.”

  • Close to 7,000 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel on security charges, including about 1,800 arrested since the start of the war.

    • ‘Everyone in return for everyone,’ Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader says

  • The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said Friday that Israeli soldiers among the 240 hostages held by militant groups in Gaza will only be released in exchange for all the Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

  • In a televised speech on the first day of what is meant to be a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war, Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhaleh said that “the enemy’s military prisoners will not be released without the freedom of our prisoners and this is linked to the end of the aggression.”

  • Close to 7,000 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel on security charges, including about 1,800 arrested since the start of the war.

    • ‘Everyone in return for everyone,’ Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader says

  • The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said Friday that Israeli soldiers among the 240 hostages held by militant groups in Gaza will only be released in exchange for all the Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

  • In a televised speech on the first day of what is meant to be a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war, Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhaleh said that “the enemy’s military prisoners will not be released without the freedom of our prisoners and this is linked to the end of the aggression.”

  • Close to 7,000 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel on security charges, including about 1,800 arrested since the start of the war.

    • British foreign secy to meet Palestinian leaders, pledge £30m Gaza aid during Middle East visit

    Britain's new foreign secretary and former prime minister David Cameron will continue his Middle East tour, meeting Palestinian leaders and pledging an additional £30m in aid for Gaza, reports The Guardian.

  • During his visit to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Cameron will meet with Palestinian leaders and aid agencies in Gaza, advocating adherence to the new agreement by all parties.

  • The former British PM's talks will centre on how UK efforts can alleviate the suffering of Gaza's citizens amid bombardment and siege by Israel's military.

  • Cameron also met with Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu and President Issac Herzog on Thursday and urged all parties to work towards the release of every hostage amind the four-day ceasefire.

    • 24 women, 15 male teens among Palestinian prisoners to be release by Israel today

  • Israel is set to release 39 Palestinian prisoners, including 24 women and 15 teenage males from the West Bank and Jerusalem.

  • The release, scheduled today, is part of an exchange with Hamas, where 13 hostages from the Gaza Strip will be freed.

  • They will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross at Israel's Ofer military jail this evening, according to Qadura Fares, the Palestinian commissioner for prisoners.

    • Israeli tanks continue to move inside Gaza amid ceasefire

    Al Jazeera reports that it had verified footage from its photographer revealing Israeli military vehicles advancing towards eastern Gaza, three hours after the commencement of the ceasefire.

    Humanitarian aid enter Gaza Strip via Rafah crossing

    Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, hours after the start of a four-day truce in the war between Israel and Hamas, November 24, 2023. (Photo| AFP)
    Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, hours after the start of a four-day truce in the war between Israel and Hamas, November 24, 2023. (Photo| AFP)

    Israel drops leaflets warning displaced Gazans against moving north

    Al Jazeera reports that the Israeli army dropped leaflets warning displaced Palestinians against moving back to the northern part of the strip.

  • The Israeli army's action follows recent statements by Israeli officials, asserting that residents from Gaza are prohibited from returning to their homes in the north after the four-day ceasefire began this morning.

  • According to the UN, over 1.7 million people — nearly 80 per cent of Gaza's population — have been internally displaced across the besieged Strip since Oct 7.

  • As of Nov 22, over one million internally displaced persons are now sheltering in 156 UNRWA installations across all five governorates of the Gaza Strip, including in the north.

    • Israel planning for next phase of war amid ceasefire in Gaza

  • According to an analysis by Haaretz, the temporary ceasefire in Gaza will allow the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to strategize for a prolonged offensive in the southern Gaza Strip, potentially spanning months.

  • Currently, a significant portion of Gaza's displaced population is cramped up in the south after Israel asked those in the north to move out as it began its air strikes and ground invasion of the besieged strip.

  • The Haaretz analysis also notes that the United States, perturbed by the Gaza humanitarian crisis and facing dissent from young Democrats, is also alarmed by the situation in the West Bank.

    • Israel planning for next phase of war amid ceasefire in Gaza: report

  • According to a report by Haaretz, the temporary ceasefire in Gaza will allow the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to strategize for a prolonged offensive in the southern Gaza Strip, potentially spanning months.

  • Currently, a significant portion of Gaza's displaced population is cramped up in the south after Israel asked those in the north to move out as it began its air strikes and ground invasion of the besieged strip.

  • The Haaretz report also notes that the United States, perturbed by the Gaza humanitarian crisis and facing dissent from young Democrats, is also alarmed by the situation in the West Bank.

    • Israel planning for next phase of war amid ceasefire in Gaza: report

  • According to a report by Haaretz, the temporary ceasefire in Gaza will allow the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to strategize for a prolonged offensive in the southern Gaza Strip, potentially spanning months.

  • Currently, a significant portion of Gaza's displaced population is cramped up in the south after Israel asked those in the north to move out as it began its air strikes and ground invasion of the besieged strip.

  • The Haaretz report also notes that the United States, perturbed by the Gaza humanitarian crisis and facing dissent from young Democrats, is also alarmed by the situation in the West Bank.

    • Aid trucks start entering Gaza Strip

    Al Jazeera reports that three aid trucks, including two with fuel and one with gas, have entered the Gaza Strip since the truce came into effect. The report adds that the trucks will soon move into stations.

  • Egypt had announced that, during the temporary ceasefire, around 200 trucks of humanitarian aid, 130,000 litres of diesel, and four trucks of gas would enter the Gaza Strip daily.

  • Gaza has been out of crucial supplies — fuel, aid, water, and food — ever since Israel imposed a 'total siege' as part of its retaliation to the Oct 7 Hamas attacks.

    • Israel reiterates 'war is not yet over' amid four-day truce in Gaza

    "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," says Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee via X.

    Al Jazeera reports that Israeli forces had reportedly raided the Indonesian Gaza hospital last night, killing one woman, injuring three and arresting three others. The hospital had been "completely evacuated" yesterday following an ultimatum issued by Israel, with its patients, doctors and volunteers moved to Rafah in the south.

    “Last night, Israeli forces attacked the hospital with tanks and destroyed all of the first floor. The damage was very bad,” Sarbini Abdul Murad, the head of the Indonesian charity Medical Emergency Rescue Committee which funds the hospital, told Al Jazeera.

    “Previously, they had attacked the third floor. They arrested at least three people. This is their way of taking over the hospitals before the ceasefire today,” Murad said.

    EU says aid 'surge' planned for Gaza during truce

  • The European Commission is planning a "surge" in aid deliveries to Gaza thanks to the pause, its president Ursula von der Leyen said.

  • Qatar said the deal would include "the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs."

  • Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said at least 200-300 aid trucks would enter, including eight carrying fuel and gas.

    • Israel-Hamas truce deal - what we know

  • Hamas to release 50 women and children hostages held in Gaza over a four-day truce

  • In return, Israel will release at least 150 Palestinian women and children held as prisoners

  • For every 10 additional hostages released, Israel will pause fighting for an extra day

  • The deal includes entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid into Gaza

  • Israeli surveillance of Gaza to be put on temporary hold during hostage exchange periods

  • The deal — facilitated by Qatar, Egypt & US — will take effect in stages and can be extended, broadened

  • Israel says it will resume the war on Gaza as soon as the hostage releases are over

    • Palestinian doctor says 27 dead in Israeli strike on UN school in Gaza

    A Palestinian doctor said Thursday at least 27 people had been killed and 93 more injured in an Israeli strike on a United Nations school in Gaza. The strike hit a UN-run school where thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering in Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, the doctor at a hospital in the camp said on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

    Four-day truce in Israel-Hamas war takes effect

  • A four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war took effect at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) on Friday, with hostages held in the Gaza Strip set to be released later in the day in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

  • The truce agreement, negotiated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, brought the first pause in a seven-week-old war that has killed thousands of people.

  • Over the four days, at least 50 hostages are expected to be released, leaving an estimated 190 in the hands of Palestinian militant groups. Meanwhile, 150 Palestinians prisoners are expected to be released.

  • For Gaza's two million-plus residents, the deal spells a respite from weeks of sustained Israeli bombardment.

  • The territory's Hamas government says the war has so far killed about 15,000 people and displaced countless more. The exact number of casualties is impossible to independently confirm, but it is clear that for many Palestinian and Israeli families, the pause in violence has already come too late.

    • Israel
    Palestine
    ceasefire
    Gaza
    Hamas
    Humanitarian crisis
    Gaza war
    Israel Hamas war

    X
    The New Indian Express
    www.newindianexpress.com