Friday Briefing

A brief cease-fire in Gaza Shortly after the truce between Israel and Hamas was scheduled to begin today, there were signs that some fighting continued. Cease-fires in the region often require some time to take hold, and it was unclear if the fighting threatened a fragile four-day pause in fighting. Read the latest updates.

Each day of the pause, Israel and Hamas will receive daily lists of the hostages and prisoners to be released, with Qatar passing them between the two parties, Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry, said. Everyone set to be freed was alive, he said, adding that hostages from the same family “will be released together.”

The agreement also included an increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza, and Hamas said that four fuel trucks along with 200 trucks carrying relief supplies would enter the territory each day during the cease-fire.

In Gaza: Palestinians greeted the prospect of even a temporary cease-fire with a mix of relief and caution after seven weeks of bombardment. Gazan health officials say that more than 12,700 people have been killed by Israel’s retaliatory strikes since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, which Israeli authorities said killed 1,200 people.