Qatar says Gaza truce, hostage release to start Friday

A Gaza truce and hostage release will start on Friday morning, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson said.

"The pause will begin at 7:00am (05:00 GMT) on Friday… and the first batch of civilian hostages will be handed over at approximately 4:00pm (14:00 GMT) on the same day," Majed Al-Ansari said on Thursday.

Thirteen people would freed initially, all women and children from the same families, Ansari said.

When asked about the hostage release, Ansari said "there will be a period of time where the skies will be clear, and that would allow for the hostage release to happen in a safe environment", explaining that there would be no drones from any country during the process.

Ansari said Palestinians would also be released on Friday but did not specify how many, explaining that a list of names had been approved.

Israel and Hamas, which have been at war since 7 October, had announced a deal on Wednesday allowing at least 50 hostages and scores of Palestinian prisoners to be freed, during a four-day truce.

"Obviously every day will include a number of civilians as agreed to total 50 within the four days," the Qatari spokesperson told a news conference.

"During these four days, information will be collected about the rest of the hostages to consider the possibility of more releases and thus extending the pause," Ansari added.

Commenting on the pause, the spokesperson said it entailed "a complete ceasefire… with no attacks from the air or the ground," adding that he hoped "there will be no violations".

The deal, facilitated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, is to take effect in stages that can be extended and broadened. It is also intended to provide aid to Gaza's 2.4 million residents.

"The agreement, it still… stands and as was agreed upon," Ansari said.