Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas and handed over to the Red Cross, reported Israel-based news site. It added that the released hostages are on their way to the Rafah crossing -- Gaza's border with Egypt.

Hostages release: Thai PM says 12 nationals freed by Hamas

Israel Hostages release: First group of Israeli hostages in the hands of Red Cross

13 Israeli hostages have been released by Hamas and handed over to the Red Cross, reported Israel-based news site. It added that the released hostages are on their way to the Rafah crossing -- Gaza's border with Egypt.

Israel-Hamas war hostage-for-prisoner swap

According to Qatar's foreign ministry, up to 13 women and children who were detained in Gaza as hostages by Hamas are scheduled to be released on Friday, November 24, in the afternoon local time. Israel and Hamas have decided to 'pause' the war for four days starting today, November 24, in order to free the hostages held by both sides.

Israel-Hamas Truce Deal: First group of 13 women and children held by Hamas to be released at 2 PM

While the hostage situation sees its first step to resolution, the ground realities in Gaza remain grim. The Israeli forces have arrested Al-Shifa hospital's Director and other medical personnel for questioning.

Israel-Hamas war: Al-Shifa hospital's director held up, Gaza's Health Minister condemns arrest

The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants will not happen before Friday, Israel's national security adviser and the U.S. said, dashing hopes of relatives that some would be freed on Thursday.

Israel-Hamas war: Majority of 300 Palestinian prisoners to be released are 18 or under | World DNA

Destruction similar to a massive natural disaster has ravaged Gaza. Hundreds and thousands have been displaced, rendered homeless. Winter is now setting in on the besieged enclave. Dropping temperatures present newer and harsher challenges for the people. What do the coming months look like for Gazans? Ghadi Francis reports.

Israel-Hamas war: No homes, no heating and dropping temperatures

This COP28 was supposed to be a landmark moment for West Asia. Dubai is hosting the UN Conference next week, but as opposed to what was expected, the climate talks will be overshadowed by the active war unravelling in the neighbourhood. We talk about how the Israel-Gaza war has derailed West Asia's climate action plans.

War in the West Asia Jeopardises climate talks

The landmark hostage deal has been sealed. A 4-day truce is in effect in Gaza. Hostages are being released, so are Palestinian detainees. As aid trucks flow into Gaza, we break down how this agreement came into being. Which players were involved in these fiercely curtained negotiations? Ghadi Francis reports.

Israel-Hamas war: 4-day pause after 7 weeks of deadly fighting

The breakthrough deal to pause the brutal and calamitous weekly-long war that is dragged on in the Gaza Strip has now come to a pause. It is a humanitarian pause and not a Ceasar as it is understood in the broader sense of the term now all of this has happened due to mediation efforts and this is the first pause in this ongoing Israel-Hamas War. It is aimed at facilitating the release of at least 50 Israeli hostages.

Israel-Hamas war: IDF completes preparations to receive hostages

Trucks of aid have begun entering Gaza through the Rafa Crossing just moments ago the first batch of trucks carrying essential supplies were seen entering Gaza from Egypt

Israeel-Hamas War: Turkey takes in Gaza's cancer patients as hospitals crumble | WION

Seven weeks after Israeli forces relentlessly bombed Gaza, a 4-day truce shouldered on a hostage swap between Israel and Hamas that has come into effect as the fighting comes to a halt. Trucks of aids will also be allowed in the Gaza strip through the Rafah crossing.

Israel-Hamas war: Israeli armoured vehicles seen moving away from Gaza strip

The Gaza Strip is presently underway and with this there's also expectation of the release of hostages from both sides from the Israeli side more than 300 prisoners are expected to be released over a period of 4 days

Israel-Hamas War: 300 Palestinian prisoners to be released as people in Gaza await swap deal | WION

Israel-Hamas war: Israeli flyers over Gaza ask people not to head North

World leaders are welcoming the recent breakthrough in the Israel-Hamas war. But in the background six weeks of relentless bombing of the Gaza Strip has changed lives forever. Children and women were left to suffer unspeakable horrors is a tragic reality of war. Take a look.

Israel-Hamas war: A Palestinian mother's harrowing tale

Here, we bring you the news that is trending across WION's social media platforms - The temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will begin at 7 a.m. on Friday, according to a spokesman for Qatar's foreign ministry, and the first group of 13 Israeli hostages will be released at 4 p.m. on Friday

Israel to free twenty-four women and fifteen teenagers | Rat menace grip Australia

Israel-Hamas war: Aid trucks & fuel enter Rafah crossing in Gaza as truce start | World News | WION

Israel-Hamas war: 4-day truce deal allow 300 trucks of humanitarian aid in Gaza | World News | WION

Israeli military unearthed a 55-metre fortified tunnel dug by Hamas under the Al-Shifa hospital. The video revealing Hamas' tunnel was released by Israel. While acknowledging that Hamas has a network of hundreds of kilometres of secret tunnels.

Israel-Hamas war: IDF posts video of tunnel beneath Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital

The death toll from the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict has surpassed 15,900, according to the official data released by both sides on Wednesday.

Israel-Hamas war: Seriously injured bought to Khan Younis Hospital after Israeli airstrike killed 4

Defence Forces in Gaza have been forced to contend with a sophisticated maze of underground tunnels and bunkers built by Hamas military experts.

Israel: IDF completes operational assessment of ceasefire lines, destroys Hamas tunnels | WION

Israel-Hamas war: Israell names 300 Palestinian prisoners who could be released

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel and would continue to target ships in international waters that were linked to or owned by Israelis until the end of Israel's campaign against Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Israel-Hamas war: Israel has deployed ships in the red sea to tackle Houthi threats

A month into Israel’s devastating bombing campaign against Gaza, with the civilian death toll already in the thousands, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet floated the idea of a nuclear strike in the war against Hamas.

Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu, a member of a far-right party in the government coalition, was interviewed on the progress of the war by Radio Kol Berama and said dropping a nuclear bomb on the embattled Gaza strip was “one of the possibilities” to hasten the outcome.

Netanyahu promptly responded on X (formerly Twitter) that Eliyahu’s suggestion was “not based on reality” and suspended him from cabinet meetings “until further notice.”

Apart from causing alarm in Arab capitals, as well as in Washington, Eliyahu had broken a decades-old taboo by confirming that Israel has a nuclear arsenal. For years, Israel has pursued a US-blessed policy of “nuclear opacity.” That meant the government would neither confirm nor deny the existence of a sizeable nuclear stockpile.

Consequently, the country never signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, unlike the United States, France, China, Britain and Russia. India and China have acknowledged having nuclear weapons but never signed the NPT. Neither has North Korea.

The Washington-based Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation estimates that Israel has about 90 plutonium-based nuclear warheads and enough plutonium for another 100 to 200.

Israel has stuck to its “neither confirm nor deny” mantra although its rank as the Middle East’s only nuclear power has long been what has been called the region’s worst-kept secret. Eliyahu just made it semi-official at a particularly sensitive time.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/idf-uncovers-tunnel-with-bathroom-kitchen-under-gaza-hospital-allegedly-used-as-hamas-command-centre-watch-661739">Also read |&nbsp;IDF uncovers tunnel with bathroom, kitchen under Gaza hospital, allegedly used as Hamas command centre</a>

His obvious lack of compassion for the large number of Palestinians who would be killed by the bomb is shared by some Americans on the far right. Such as Brian Mast, a Republican congressman from Florida, who took issue with critics of the high civilian death toll in Gaza.

“I would encourage the other (pro-Palestinian) side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians, as is frequently said. I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term innocent Nazis during World War II,” he said in a speech.

Israel’s nuclear reactor at Dimona in the Negev desert got a brief mention in a recent movie on the way the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir handled the 1973 war, a coalition of Arab states launched against Israel.

Its intelligence serves then failed to notice war preparations as disastrously as they did 50 years later in failing to detect months of Hamas planning for the October 7 attack on villages across the border with Gaza. In the movie, the then-intelligence chief sidled up to Mrs Meir and whispered, “Is it time to make use of Dimona?” She shook her head.

The Israeli code of silence on Dimona was pierced in 1986 when a nuclear technician, Mordechai Vanunu, leaked photographs of the facility to the Sunday Times of London. He then went to Italy, lured by a beautiful blonde Mossad agent.

What happened there became the stuff of legend. The romance Vanunu expected in Rome ended badly – he was drugged, abducted and secretly taken to Israel, where a closed-door trial sentenced him to 18 years in prison for treason.

Released in 2004, he was banned from leaving Israel and from speaking to foreigners unless granted approval by Shin Beth, Israel’s internal spy service.

Eliyahu’s slap on the wrist for floating the idea of dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza is unlikely to have more consequences than a temporary exclusion from cabinet meetings. Neither will it change the “nuclear opacity” policy or the Israeli government’s determination to maintain its nuclear monopoly in the Middle East.

It has been vocal in warning about what it says are Iran’s advances in working on its own nuclear arsenal and it has taken actions rather than words to prevent competition from other would-be nuclear countries.

Also watch |&nbsp;Gaza hostage release will not start before Friday confirms Israel

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/israel-hamas-war-gaza-hostage-release-will-not-start-before-friday-confirms-israel-661758/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In 1981, Israel used US-supplied F-16 fighter bombers to knock out a nuclear reactor near Baghdad where it suspected work on a bomb was making progress. The next perceived threat to its nuclear monopoly fell on Sept 6, 2007, in a raid on a reactor in Syria.

How long Israel will be the Middle East’s only country with a nuclear arsenal remains to be seen. There has been little discussion on the matter and the United States&nbsp;appears to have no problem with the nuclear might of its closest ally.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

A month into Israel’s devastating bombing campaign against Gaza, with the civilian death toll already in the thousands, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet floated the idea of a nuclear strike in the war against Hamas.

A month into Israel’s devastating bombing campaign against Gaza, with the civilian death toll already in the thousands, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet floated the idea of a nuclear strike in the war against Hamas. Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu, a member of a far-right party in the government coalition, was interviewed on the progress of the war by Radio Kol Berama and said dropping a nuclear bomb on the embattled Gaza strip was “one of the possibilities” to hasten the outcome. Netanyahu promptly responded on X (formerly Twitter) that Eliyahu’s suggestion was “not based on reality” and suspended him from cabinet meetings “until further notice.” Apart from causing alarm in Arab capitals, as well as in Washington, Eliyahu had broken a decades-old taboo by confirming that Israel has a nuclear arsenal. For years, Israel has pursued a US-blessed policy of “nuclear opacity.” That meant the government would neither confirm nor deny the existence of a sizeable nuclear stockpile. Consequently, the country never signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, unlike the United States, France, China, Britain and Russia. India and China have acknowledged having nuclear weapons but never signed the NPT. Neither has North Korea. The Washington-based Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation estimates that Israel has about 90 plutonium-based nuclear warheads and enough plutonium for another 100 to 200. Israel has stuck to its “neither confirm nor deny” mantra although its rank as the Middle East’s only nuclear power has long been what has been called the region’s worst-kept secret. Eliyahu just made it semi-official at a particularly sensitive time. Also read | IDF uncovers tunnel with bathroom, kitchen under Gaza hospital, allegedly used as Hamas command centre His obvious lack of compassion for the large number of Palestinians who would be killed by the bomb is shared by some Americans on the far right. Such as Brian Mast, a Republican congressman from Florida, who took issue with critics of the high civilian death toll in Gaza. “I would encourage the other (pro-Palestinian) side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent Palestinian civilians, as is frequently said. I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term innocent Nazis during World War II,” he said in a speech. Israel’s nuclear reactor at Dimona in the Negev desert got a brief mention in a recent movie on the way the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir handled the 1973 war, a coalition of Arab states launched against Israel. Its intelligence serves then failed to notice war preparations as disastrously as they did 50 years later in failing to detect months of Hamas planning for the October 7 attack on villages across the border with Gaza. In the movie, the then-intelligence chief sidled up to Mrs Meir and whispered, “Is it time to make use of Dimona?” She shook her head. The Israeli code of silence on Dimona was pierced in 1986 when a nuclear technician, Mordechai Vanunu, leaked photographs of the facility to the Sunday Times of London. He then went to Italy, lured by a beautiful blonde Mossad agent. What happened there became the stuff of legend. The romance Vanunu expected in Rome ended badly – he was drugged, abducted and secretly taken to Israel, where a closed-door trial sentenced him to 18 years in prison for treason. Released in 2004, he was banned from leaving Israel and from speaking to foreigners unless granted approval by Shin Beth, Israel’s internal spy service. Eliyahu’s slap on the wrist for floating the idea of dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza is unlikely to have more consequences than a temporary exclusion from cabinet meetings. Neither will it change the “nuclear opacity” policy or the Israeli government’s determination to maintain its nuclear monopoly in the Middle East. It has been vocal in warning about what it says are Iran’s advances in working on its own nuclear arsenal and it has taken actions rather than words to prevent competition from other would-be nuclear countries. Also watch | Gaza hostage release will not start before Friday confirms Israel In 1981, Israel used US-supplied F-16 fighter bombers to knock out a nuclear reactor near Baghdad where it suspected work on a bomb was making progress. The next perceived threat to its nuclear monopoly fell on Sept 6, 2007, in a raid on a reactor in Syria. How long Israel will be the Middle East’s only country with a nuclear arsenal remains to be seen. There has been little discussion on the matter and the United States appears to have no problem with the nuclear might of its closest ally. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Hamas-Israel war: In Israel, inadvertent confirmation of its nuclear arsenal

The Israeli forces&nbsp;discovered a reinforced tunnel adjacent to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Wednesday (Nov 22). The tunnel, featuring amenities such as a bathroom, kitchen, and an air-conditioned meeting room, was identified as a command post used by Hamas fighters in a video released by the IDF.

The entrance to the tunnel, with a height of approximately two metres&nbsp;(6-1/2 feet), was accessible through an outdoor shaft within the hospital complex grounds. These grounds, previously densely populated by tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, were asserted by the army to have functioned as a human shield during the conflict.

"That's the way that they survive because they use the hospital as a human shield that protects them," said Colonel Elad Tsuri, commander of an Israeli armoured brigade that found the tunnel, in the video released by IDF. "And here they can stay for a long time. There is a room with air conditioning inside," he added.&nbsp;

Watch the video here:

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Dear world, is this enough proof for you? <a href="https://t.co/Z3HNDPNV3O">pic.twitter.com/Z3HNDPNV3O</a>
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1727409278636478519?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<h2>Israel's long-standing allegations</h2>

Israel has consistently accused Hamas of using&nbsp;the Shifa hospital complex as a central command and control centre, forming part of a broader strategy to conceal its forces within the civilian population.

Both Hamas and hospital officials vehemently deny these allegations. The hospital site has become a focal point for accusations of war crimes from both sides, with Palestinians asserting that Israel targets hospitals and Israel contending that these sites are used to shelter armed fighters.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-gaza-hostage-release-before-friday-say-israeli-officials-661729">Also read |&nbsp;No Gaza hostage release before Friday, say Israeli officials</a>

Israeli authorities speculated that there might be another exit from the tunnel yet to be opened, expressing confidence that it led to the city and connected to another opening in a Gaza kindergarten.

Israel has faced international criticism for its Gaza campaign, including attacks on Shifa, the enclave's largest hospital. The army displayed numerous guns, grenades, and explosives collected in recent days from within the hospital, a motor home, and nearby cars.

In Washington, the White House asserted that independent intelligence supported Israel's claim of Hamas using Gaza's hospitals, including Shifa, for military purposes. In response, Hamas accused the US&nbsp;of adopting a false narrative, describing it as a green light for Israel to commit more civilian massacres.

Also watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Secret men behind Israel-Hamas hostage deal

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-secret-men-behind-israel-hamas-hostage-deal-661675/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

The Israeli forces discovered a reinforced tunnel adjacent to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Wednesday (Nov 22). The tunnel, featuring amenities such as a bathroom, kitchen, and an air-conditioned meeting room, was identified as a command post used by Hamas fighters in a video released by the IDF.

The Israeli forces discovered a reinforced tunnel adjacent to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Wednesday (Nov 22). The tunnel, featuring amenities such as a bathroom, kitchen, and an air-conditioned meeting room, was identified as a command post used by Hamas fighters in a video released by the IDF. The entrance to the tunnel, with a height of approximately two metres (6-1/2 feet), was accessible through an outdoor shaft within the hospital complex grounds. These grounds, previously densely populated by tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, were asserted by the army to have functioned as a human shield during the conflict. "That's the way that they survive because they use the hospital as a human shield that protects them," said Colonel Elad Tsuri, commander of an Israeli armoured brigade that found the tunnel, in the video released by IDF. "And here they can stay for a long time. There is a room with air conditioning inside," he added. Watch the video here: Dear world, is this enough proof for you? pic.twitter.com/Z3HNDPNV3O — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023 × Israel's long-standing allegations Israel has consistently accused Hamas of using the Shifa hospital complex as a central command and control centre, forming part of a broader strategy to conceal its forces within the civilian population. Both Hamas and hospital officials vehemently deny these allegations. The hospital site has become a focal point for accusations of war crimes from both sides, with Palestinians asserting that Israel targets hospitals and Israel contending that these sites are used to shelter armed fighters. Also read | No Gaza hostage release before Friday, say Israeli officials Israeli authorities speculated that there might be another exit from the tunnel yet to be opened, expressing confidence that it led to the city and connected to another opening in a Gaza kindergarten. Israel has faced international criticism for its Gaza campaign, including attacks on Shifa, the enclave's largest hospital. The army displayed numerous guns, grenades, and explosives collected in recent days from within the hospital, a motor home, and nearby cars. In Washington, the White House asserted that independent intelligence supported Israel's claim of Hamas using Gaza's hospitals, including Shifa, for military purposes. In response, Hamas accused the US of adopting a false narrative, describing it as a green light for Israel to commit more civilian massacres. Also watch | Gravitas: Secret men behind Israel-Hamas hostage deal Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos. (With inputs from agencies)

IDF uncovers tunnel with bathroom, kitchen under Gaza hospital allegedly used as Hamas command centre. Watch

Israel's national security adviser on Thursday (Nov 23) said that the release of hostages held by Hamas, under a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, will not take place before Friday (Nov 24).

The official&nbsp;also added that there would be no pause in the Gaza fighting before Friday.

The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its October 7 assault on Israel had yet to be officially announced, however, as per news agency Reuters reports, an Egyptian security source had stated that the mediators aimed at a start time of 10 am on Thursday.

"The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly," Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime minister's office.

"The contacts on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly," he said

"The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday," the statement added.

This came after journalists were notified that a media centre would open in Tel Aviv at noon on Thursday "to cover the return of the hostages".

As per local media reports, the 24-hour delay in the release of the hostages was because the agreement between the militant group Hamas and mediator Qatar was yet to be signed.

"No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media ... We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages' families are facing," Israel's public broadcaster Kan quoted a source in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying.

The Israeli government, early on Wednesday (Nov 22), approved an agreement to free roughly 50 hostages who were abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Palestinian militant group Hamas' onslaught on October 7, in exchange for the release of imprisoned Palestinian women and minors.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fbi-investigating-vehicle-explosion-at-us-canada-bridge-near-niagara-falls-661692">Vehicle explosion at US-Canada bridge near Niagara Falls kills 2</a>

"The government approved the broad outlines of the first stage of an agreement under which at least 50 kidnapped people -- women and children -- will be released over four days during which there will be a lull in the fighting," the statement said.

<h2>Biden speaks with Qatar, Israel, and Egypt leaders about hostages</h2>

United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday spoke with the leaders of Qatar, Israel, and Egypt about the hostages after the agreement was signed between Israel and Hamas, the White House said.

All three conversations concerned "the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its brutal assault against Israel on October 7 and the latest developments in the region," the White House said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-releases-300-detained-palestinians-list-majority-are-males-under-18-661518">Israel releases 300 Palestinian prisoners’ list, 150 to be freed in 1st phase</a>

Biden and Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani "committed to remain in close contact to ensure the deal is fully implemented," the White House said in a readout of the call.

"They reiterated the importance of protecting civilian lives, respecting international humanitarian law and increasing and sustaining humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza," it said.

Biden also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and assured him his country's support in securing the release of all the remaining hostages.

"The President further emphasized the importance of maintaining calm along the Lebanese border as well as in the West Bank," the White House said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Israel's national security adviser on Thursday (Nov 23) said that the release of hostages held by Hamas, under a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, will not take place before Friday (Nov 24).

Israel's national security adviser on Thursday (Nov 23) said that the release of hostages held by Hamas, under a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, will not take place before Friday (Nov 24). The official also added that there would be no pause in the Gaza fighting before Friday. The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its October 7 assault on Israel had yet to be officially announced, however, as per news agency Reuters reports, an Egyptian security source had stated that the mediators aimed at a start time of 10 am on Thursday. "The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly," Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime minister's office. "The contacts on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly," he said "The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday," the statement added. This came after journalists were notified that a media centre would open in Tel Aviv at noon on Thursday "to cover the return of the hostages". As per local media reports, the 24-hour delay in the release of the hostages was because the agreement between the militant group Hamas and mediator Qatar was yet to be signed. "No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media ... We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages' families are facing," Israel's public broadcaster Kan quoted a source in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying. The Israeli government, early on Wednesday (Nov 22), approved an agreement to free roughly 50 hostages who were abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Palestinian militant group Hamas' onslaught on October 7, in exchange for the release of imprisoned Palestinian women and minors. Also read: Vehicle explosion at US-Canada bridge near Niagara Falls kills 2 "The government approved the broad outlines of the first stage of an agreement under which at least 50 kidnapped people -- women and children -- will be released over four days during which there will be a lull in the fighting," the statement said. Biden speaks with Qatar, Israel, and Egypt leaders about hostages United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday spoke with the leaders of Qatar, Israel, and Egypt about the hostages after the agreement was signed between Israel and Hamas, the White House said. All three conversations concerned "the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its brutal assault against Israel on October 7 and the latest developments in the region," the White House said. Also read: Israel releases 300 Palestinian prisoners’ list, 150 to be freed in 1st phase Biden and Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani "committed to remain in close contact to ensure the deal is fully implemented," the White House said in a readout of the call. "They reiterated the importance of protecting civilian lives, respecting international humanitarian law and increasing and sustaining humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza," it said. Biden also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and assured him his country's support in securing the release of all the remaining hostages. "The President further emphasized the importance of maintaining calm along the Lebanese border as well as in the West Bank," the White House said. (With inputs from agencies)

Gaza hostage release won't happen before Friday, say Israeli officials

Israel-Hamas war: IDF posts video of tunnel beneath Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital | World News | WION

The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas militants will not happen before Friday, Israel's national security adviser said on Wednesday night. Israel and Hamas agreed early on Wednesday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, to let in aid and free at least 50 hostages held by militants in the Palestinian enclave in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel.

Israel-Hamas war: Israel says no pause in Gaza fighting before Friday

The temporary truce between the militant group and Israel has now been delayed. Earlier, Israel's cabinet had approved a ceasefire deal with the Hamas group on Tuesday night, which the world leaders welcomed.

Israel-Hamas war: Will delay in truce hamper hostage deal?

Israel-Hamas war: Gaza hostage release will not start before Friday confirms Israel

Israel-Hamas war: Israel Army continues to pound Gaza despite truce deal | World DNA | WION

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