Israel has said the pause in hostilities would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.
ADVERTISEMENTA four-day ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas took effect on Friday morning, a day later than originally announced, as negotiators worked out final details of the deal.
The stage is now set for the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, alongside families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas’ 7 October attack that triggered the war.
The ceasefire kicked off at 7 am local time (0500 GMT) and is to last at least four days.
During this period, Gaza’s ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took during the October raid. Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Both sides will release women and children first. Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.
The truce-for-hostages deal was reached in weeks of intense indirect negotiations, with Qatar, the United States and Egypt serving as mediators. If it holds, it would mark the first significant break in fighting since Israel declared war on Hamas seven weeks ago.
The agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has levelled vast swaths of Gaza, fuelled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.
Israel has pushed back against such speculation, saying it was determined to resume its massive offensive once the truce ends.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quoted as telling troops Thursday that their respite would be short and that the war would resume with intensity for at least two more months.
First group of hostages to be released
Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter Gaza “as soon as possible,” according to Majed al-Ansari, the spokesman of the Qatari foreign ministry. The hope is that the “momentum” from this deal will lead to an “end to this violence," he told reporters.
Hamas said 200 trucks a day will enter Gaza carrying aid. Qatar said the aid will include fuel but has given no details on quantities.
Israel cut off all imports at the start of the war, except for a trickle of food, water and medical supplies allowed in from Egypt. The lack of fuel has caused a territory-wide blackout, leaving homes and hospitals reliant on faltering generators.
Euronews understands that a 9-year-old Irish-Israeli girl, Emily Hand, will be included in the first group of hostages to be released.
Rising death toll in Gaza
Gaza's Health Ministry, meanwhile, resumed its detailed count of Palestinian casualties from the war, saying more than 13,300 have been killed in Israeli strikes.
The new numbers were not fully broken down, but women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead in past tallies.
The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north, where services and communication largely broke down earlier this month. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war after the truce expires to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.