Israel-Hamas ceasefire holding as first hostages to be released from Gaza

The latest:

• 4-day pause in fighting begins between Hamas and Israel
• First group of 13 women and child hostages held by Hamas set to be released later Friday

Israel and Hamas began a four-day truce on Friday morning with Palestinian militants set to release a first group of 13 Israeli women and child hostages later in the day, the first break in a war that has devastated the besieged Gaza enclave.

The truce went into effect at 7 a.m. local time and involves a comprehensive ceasefire in north and south Gaza, followed by the release of some of the more than 200 hostages taken Oct. 7, when Hamas led a surprise attack inside Israel, mediators in Qatar said.

But fighting raged on in the hours leading up to the truce, with officials inside the Hamas-ruled enclave saying a hospital in Gaza City was among the targets bombed. Both sides also signalled the pause would be temporary before fighting resumes.

Additional aid is set to start flowing into Gaza and the first hostages including elderly women are due to be freed at 4 p.m., with the total number rising to 50 over the four days, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in Doha.

The first group of 39 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons are then expected to be released at 8 p.m, with at total of 150 Palestinians set to be freed over the course of the truce.

Egypt said 130,000 litres of diesel and four trucks of gas will be delivered daily to Gaza when the truce starts, and that 200 trucks of aid would enter Gaza daily.

Within minutes of the truce deadline passing, rocket sirens sounded in two villages near the Gaza Strip, warning of possible Palestinian rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled enclave. There was no immediate confirmation that rocket attacks had occurred or caused any damage.

Janice Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, said it's not unexpected that there could be artillery fire for the first few hours after the truce went into effect.

"That's what you normally see," Stein told CBC The National's Adrienne Arsenault.

But she is "optimistic" the temporary truce will hold for the four days.

WATCH | Long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas begins:

Hamas expected to release 13 hostages, Israel 39 prisoners

3 hours ago

Duration 3:38

Featured VideoAs the long-awaited truce between Israel and Hamas clicks begins, Israelis and Palestinians are hoping the pause in fighting holds long enough to allow hostages and life-saving aid to arrive safely. Hamas is expected to release 13 women and children and Israel is expected to release 39 women, young men and children.

Hamas earlier confirmed on its Telegram channel that all hostilities from its forces would cease.

But Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas's armed wing, later referred to "this temporary truce" in a video message that called for an "escalation of the confrontation with [Israel] on all resistance fronts," including the Israeli-occupied West Bank where violence has surged since the Gaza war erupted almost seven weeks ago.

Israel's military said its troops would stay behind a ceasefire line inside Gaza, without giving details of its position.

"These will be complicated days and nothing is certain," Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.

"Control over northern Gaza is the first step of a long war, and we are preparing for the next stages," he added. Israel had received an initial list of hostages to be freed and was in touch with families, the prime minister's office said.

WATCH | Deep uncertainty as hostages' families wait to see is loved ones will be released:

'I really want to see her here,' says family member of Hamas hostage

14 hours ago

Duration 1:30

Featured VideoGil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat is reported to be among the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, says people in Israel are feeling some optimism — but also deep uncertainty as they wait to see who, if anyone, will actually be released.

People in Gaza 'losing hope'

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 fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

Israel launched its devastating invasion of Gaza after gunmen from Hamas burst across the border fence on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages, according to Israeli government tallies.

Since then, Israel has rained bombs on the tiny enclave, killing some 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza, around 40 per cent of them children, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

"People are exhausted and are losing hope in humanity," UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA's Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Thursday after a visit to Gaza, referring to "unspeakable suffering" in the enclave.

"They need respite, they deserve to sleep without being anxious about whether they will make it through the night. This is the bare minimum anyone should be able to have."

Ahead of the ceasefire, fighting continued at even greater than normal intensity on Thursday, with Israeli jets hitting more than 300 targets and troops engaged in heavy fighting around Jabaliya refugee camp north of Gaza City.

An army spokesperson said operations would continue until troops received the order to stop.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires to destroy Hamas's military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the nearly 240 captives estimated to be held in Gaza by Hamas and other armed factions.

"We will continue it until we achieve all our goals," Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden.

WATCH | How a fragile truce in Gaza could fall apart:

The Israel-Hamas truce is a breakthrough. Here's how it could fall apart | About That

1 day ago

Duration 7:58

Featured VideoIsrael and Hamas have agreed to a four-day ceasefire in Gaza, enabling the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Andrew Chang examines the fragile truce and the ways it could fall apart.