The four-day truce in Gaza and hostage release will not start until Friday: Reports

GAZA: Israel and Hamas confirmed that a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel.

The ceasefire would enable the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza, mainly children and women and most are foreign nationals, in exchange for about 150 female and teenage Palestinians jailed in Israel, the Israeli presidency and a top Hamas official revealed separately.

How ever,the four-day truce in Gaza and hostage release will not start until Friday at the earliest, Israeli official have said, delaying by at least 24 hours the proposed exchange of hostages held by Hamas in the territory for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The exchange of female and minor hostages and prisoners was due to take place following the start of the first ceasefire in seven weeks of war in Gaza, officials from both Hamas and Israel have said.

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