A four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began Friday, allowing sorely needed aid to start flowing into Gaza and setting the stage for the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. There were no reports of fighting in the hours after the truce began, reports the AP. The deal offered some relief for Gaza's 2.3 million people, who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment and dwindling supplies of basic necessities, as well as for families in Israel fearful for the fate of loved ones taken captive during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, which triggered the war.
The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, though Israel has said it is determined to resume its massive offensive once the ceasefire ends. Not long after it took effect, four fuel tankers and four tankers with cooking gas entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt, Israel said. Israel has agreed to allow the delivery of 130,000 liters (34,340 gallons) of fuel per day during the truce—still only a small portion of Gaza's estimated daily needs of more than 1 million liters. Meanwhile, The Israeli military dropped leaflets over southern Gaza, warning hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who sought refuge there not to return to their homes in the territory's north, the focus of Israel's ground offensive.
Even though Israel warned that it would block such attempts, hundreds of Palestinians could be seen walking north Friday. Two were shot and killed by Israeli troops and another 11 were wounded in the legs. An AP journalist saw the two bodies and the wounded as they arrived at a hospital. Sofian Abu Amer, who had fled Gaza City, said he had decided to risk heading north to check on his home. "We don't have enough clothes, food, and drinks," he said. "The situation is disastrous. It's better for a person to die."
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During the ceasefire, Hamas pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took on Oct. 7. Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides agreed to release women and children first, starting Friday afternoon. Israel said the deal calls for the truce to be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed. The first hostages freed will be Israeli citizens, including some who have a second nationality, according to a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible for release, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses. Three Palestinian prisoners are to be released for every hostage freed. (Read much more here.)
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