After nearly seven weeks of fighting, a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is set to begin on Friday morning. The first batch of civilian hostages will be released approximately nine hours later, according to Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman. Thirteen people, all women and children from the same families, will be freed initially, with a total of 50 hostages to be released within the four-day truce period.

8 hours left for the truce in Gaza

— Muhammad Smiry 🇵🇸 (@MuhammadSmiry) November 23, 2023

The truce is also intended to provide aid to the 2.4 million residents of Gaza who have been struggling with shortages of food, water, and fuel. However, fighting continued on Thursday, casting doubt on the success of the truce. Israeli officials have stated that the truce will only be temporary and they will continue until they are victorious. The release deal comes after weeks of negotiations involving Israel, Palestinian militant groups, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.