Update: Israel says Gaza ceasefire and hostages release delayed

Colombo (News 1st) - Update: The 4-day ceasefire in Gaza that was expected to begin on Thursday (23rd) morning and the release of Israeli hostages have been delayed and won't happen until at least Friday, Israeli officials said.

Earlier both Hamas and the Israeli government had said the truce and hostage release would commence on Thursday morning, foreign media reported.

The truce conditions include the release of 150 Palestinian women and children held by Israel. In exchange, Hamas would release 50 Israeli hostages it holds in Gaza. Should the truce be extended, more hostages would be released.

The truce was negotiated by the government of Qatar which has been mediating for several weeks now.

Israel has vowed to continue its attacks when the truce ends with the objective of completely destroying Hamas.

More than 14,000 Palestinians have been killed as Israeli military forces continue bombardment and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, which began following the Hamas raid that killed 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7. More than 1.5 million Gazans have been forced to flee their homes.

Hamas is holding approximately 240 hostages, Israeli and other nationalities, seized during the Oct. 7 raid. Israel has arrested thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.