JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - A four-day truce agreed upon by Israel and Hamas took effect on Friday.
The pause in fighting appears to be holding, but both Israel and Hamas vowed that it is temporary, reports say.
In a major breakthrough in the nearly seven weeks old bloody conflict in the Middle East, both sides agreed to stop fighting for four days to implement the deal, brokered mainly by Qatar.
Hamas agreed to release 50 hostages held in Gaza, while Israel offered freedom to 150 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli jails.
According to reports, the first batch of 13 Israeli hostages will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross first, and then taken back to Israel through Egypt later today.
After receiving them, Israel will start releasing 39 Palestinian prisoners, including 24 women and 15 children.
They are among 239 hostages Hamas abducted in a surprise attack carried out in Israeli cities on October 7. Around 1,200 people, mostly Israelis, were killed in the militant attack across the border, while around 12,700 people lost their lives in Gaza in retaliatory attacks by Israel Defense Forces.
Meanwhile, trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, fuel, cooking gas and food, have made their way into Gaza from the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Friday, reports said.
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