(CNN) — A truce between Israel and Hamas is due to come into effect at 7 a.m. local time (12 a.m. ET) on Friday, with civilian hostages held captive by militants expected to be released in the coming hours as part of a breakthrough diplomatic deal following an uneasy day-long delay.
An initial group of 13 women and children held in Gaza are expected to be freed later Friday, mediators in Qatar said the previous day. Thirty-nine Palestinian prisoners would also be released by Israel Friday as part of the deal, according to an Israeli official.
A pause in fighting, slated to last at least four days, would confirm the fragile diplomatic deal announced Wednesday is progressing as planned, marking the first sustained break in hostilities after nearly seven weeks of conflict – and the first expected large-scale release of hostages.
The truce between Israel and Hamas appeared to be taking effect, despite a barrage of Israeli artillery fire and sirens warning of rockets from Gaza in the minutes after it was due to begin.
CNN journalists in the southern Israel city of Sderot said the sounds of heavy weapons fire stopped around 7:18 a.m. local time (12:18 a.m. ET).
They heard what sounded like small arms fire inside Gaza about 20 minutes later, but artillery fire, airstrikes and rockets appear to have stopped.
The pause would also allow for a ramp-up in much needed humanitarian aid entering Gaza, where weeks of Israeli blockade, bombardment and ground invasion have fueled a dire humanitarian crisis.
A large convoy of aid trucks lined up at the Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border was expected to move into the embattled, Hamas-controlled enclave “immediately” at the start of the pause, the United Nations said Thursday.
Israel declared war on Hamas following the militant group’s bloody October 7 terror attack on its territory, in which more than 1,200 people were killed – the largest such attack on Israel since the country’s founding in 1948.
Militants are holding more than 200 people captive inside Gaza from mass abductions that day, according to figures from the Israeli military.
Under terms previously announced by Qatar, a total of 50 of those hostages, women and children, are expected to be freed over a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting.
The deal includes the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners during the same period, according to Israel, with the potential for an extension and more releases in the days after. Most of the prisoners concerned are male teenagers, along with some women, according to an Israeli government list of those who could be released.
The agreement followed mounting pressure on the Israeli government from the families of the hostages, who have demanded answers and action from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It also comes amid growing international pressure for more humanitarian support for the people of Gaza.
The number of people killed in Gaza since October 7 now stands at 14,854, according to information from Hamas authorities in the Strip.
Israel’s defense minister said he expects the military operation against Hamas will continue “forcefully” after the truce.
