Netanyahu confirms Red Cross allowed to visit Gaza hostages

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will be allowed to visit hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as part of Israel’s temporary ceasefire agreement with the terror group, Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

Fifty of the 240 hostages kept captive by Hamas are expected to be released over a four-day period under the deal, in exchange for the freeing of 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

There will also be a pause in fighting, which is expected to start tomorrow at 10am.

Mr Netanyahu said that the deal allows for representatives of the ICRC to tend to those who will continue to be held in Gaza.

“I expect the Red Cross to do its job, and to visit them all and to bring them the medication that they need,” he said during a press conference on Wednesday evening.

The ICRC has not yet confirmed Mr Netanyahu’s claim but had earlier said it was ready to facilitate the release of the hostages.

The hostages are expected to be transported to Israel through Egypt, the only other country to share a border with the Gaza Strip.

09:56 PM GMT

That’s all for today

Thank you for following our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The key developments from the day were the following:

• The process of recovering 50 Israeli hostages is due to begin tomorrow, and the four-day ceasefire is expected to start at 10am.

• Israel will not notify the families of hostages due to be released by Hamas until they are out of Gaza.

• The White House hopes several hundred more aid trucks carrying food, water and medicine will reach Gaza in the coming days, amid the conflict with Israel, national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.

• Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected a legal challenge to the hostage deal, which will also see 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails released.

• The head of the United Nations children’s agency has called the besieged Gaza Strip “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.”
  

09:40 PM GMT

Pictured: Palestinian ambulances in Gaza

09:30 PM GMT

Families won't be notified until hostages leave Gaza

Israel will not notify the families of hostages due to be released by Hamas until they are out of Gaza, a senior Israeli official has said.

The decision has been taken amid concerns that Hamas may not free the specific hostages it committed to release under the deal reached on Wednesday, the Times of Israel reported, citing the unnamed official.

The agreement – which will see a four-day pause in fighting, and 50 Israeli hostages released in batches in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails – will take effect from 10am tomorrow.

After being returned to Israel, the hostages will be immediately flown to hospitals, the official said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has said it is ready to facilitate the release of the hostages.

They are expected to be transported to Israel through Egypt, the only other country to share a border with the Gaza Strip.

09:17 PM GMT

Netanyahu says hostage deal does not include 'release of murderers'

The hostage deal does not include the “release of murderers,” Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday, according to CNN.

Most Israelis have welcomed the agreement, but there has been concern from some that perpetrators of fatal attacks on Israelis could be among the list of Palestinians set to be released as part of the trade.

08:56 PM GMT

Pictured: Israeli soldiers in 'terror tunnel'

08:29 PM GMT

White House hopes hundreds of aid trucks will reach Gaza in coming days

The White House hopes several hundred more aid trucks carrying food, water and medicine will reach Gaza in the coming days, amid the conflict with Israel, national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday.

08:17 PM GMT

Gallant: Israel 'slowly but surely' dismantling Hamas

Yoav Gallant, Israeli defence minister, has told a press conference that Israel is “slowly but surely” dismantling the military framework of Hamas.

The defence minister said he recommended to the Israeli parliament that the armed forces should go further into Gaza – to show Hamas the powers of Israel’s military and rescue hostages.

He says that he “sincerely” hopes that the hostage release agreement “will be actually executed”.

08:02 PM GMT

Netanyahu holds press conference about hostage deal

Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking now live on TV at a press conference to talk about the hostage deal.

He also said he is still working to get an agreement to release “all, and I mean all” hostages held by Hamas.

Discussing his conversations with the families of the hostages, he said: “I heard about the constant fear…the constant terror, the suffering and …anxiety,” he said.

He also said the Red Cross will be allowed to visit the remaining hostages in Gaza.

07:32 PM GMT

Israeli military reiterates it is still at war with Hamas

Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, has reiterated that the planned upcoming ceasefire is “an operational pause” only.

“Israel is still at war with Hamas,” Hagari told a news conference on Tuesday evening. He said that the IDF was committed to bringing every hostage home.

“The Hamas massacre of October 7 was a genocidal attack,” Hagari said.

07:30 PM GMT

Biden calls Qatari emir to thank him for mediation

US President Joe Biden called Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to thank him for mediation between Israel and Hamas that resulted in a truce, the emir’s press office said on Wednesday.

07:22 PM GMT

Yemen's Houthis launch missiles towards military posts in Israel's Eilat

Yemen’s Houthis have launched a number of missiles towards military posts in Israel’s Eilat, the group’s spokesman said in a post on X on Wednesday, which was reported by Reuters.

07:17 PM GMT

Israel’s Supreme Court rejects legal challenge to hostage deal

Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected a legal challenge to the hostage deal.

The Almagor association, which was set up in 1986 to represent victims of terror, had claimed that the government’s decision, intensified the risk of “the recurrence of serious acts of terrorism to which all the citizens and residents of the country are exposed.”

Almagor had asked the Supreme Court to “annul the government’s decision … [and] order [the government] to discuss again the terms of the deal with Hamas,” according to information released by the Court.

The Court said it rejected the petition outright on the grounds that the hostage deal “is a clear political issue to which this court does not consider its involvement as necessary.”

06:34 PM GMT

Pictured: Explosions as fighting commences

06:27 PM GMT

France calls for EU sanctions against Hamas officials

France wants the European Union to impose sanctions against top Hamas leaders, a senior French official said Wednesday.

France “is pushing for sanctions at the European level against senior Hamas figures, individually, because for the moment ... the European Union only condemns the organisation as a whole,” Laurence Boone, secretary of state for European affairs, told AFP on the sidelines of an international meeting in Madrid.

The idea would be to “specifically target certain individuals” with “mainly financial” sanctions such as an asset freeze, she added without specifying who should be targeted.

05:50 PM GMT

Switzerland set to ban Hamas

The Swiss government has decided to draft a law explicitly banning Hamas activities or support for the Palestinian terror group.

“The ban has the sole aim of preventing the terrorist activities of this organisation, and the people who support them,” Justice Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider told a press conference.

She said banning Hamas would make it easier to expel “dangerous people” and speed up criminal proceedings against “potential terrorists”.

The act, to be drafted by the end of February, is aimed at giving Swiss authorities the tools to counter Hamas activities or support for the group within Switzerland, AFP reported.

05:44 PM GMT

Netanyahu and members of war cabinet to hold news conference Wednesday

Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the war cabinet will hold a news conference at 7:15 pm (9:15 pm local time) Wednesday in Tel Aviv, according to the prime minister’s office.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who are members of the emergency war cabinet, are expected to be among those at the conference.

04:56 PM GMT

Pictured: Israeli soldiers reposition

04:55 PM GMT

Major NGOs call for longer truce

Humanitarian and human rights organisations have said a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war was too short and called for more time to deliver vital aid to the Gaza Strip.

Paul O’Brien, from Amnesty International USA, said on a conference call of major non-governmental organisations that the four-day truce was “not enough and it’s certainly not enough in human rights terms”.

04:28 PM GMT

Dispute erupts over whether Pope called Gaza situation a 'genocide'

A dispute has broken out over whether Pope Francis used the word “genocide” to describe events in Gaza, with Palestinians who met with him insisting that he did and the Vatican saying he did not, Reuters has reported.

The opposing versions emerged at an afternoon press conference with 10 Palestinians who met the Pope on Wednesday morning at his Vatican residence. That meeting followed a separate one with Israeli relatives of hostages in Gaza.

“When we shared the stories of the families that have been killed (in Gaza) he mentioned ‘I see the genocide’,” said Shireen Awwad Hilal, who teaches at the Bethlehem Bible College.

“It was very clear, the word genocide did not come from us. It came from His Holiness, Pope Francis,” she said.

But a statement sent by Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, in response to a question texted by a reporter, said the opposite.

“I am not aware that he (the Pope) used such a word. He used terms that he expressed during the general audience and words that in any case represent the terrible situation that is being lived out in Gaza,” Bruni’s statement said.

04:10 PM GMT

UN says Gaza world's 'most dangerous place' for children

The head of the United Nations children’s agency has called the besieged Gaza Strip “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.”

UNICEF’s executive director Catherine Russell said over 5,300 children have reportedly been killed in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, accounting for 40 percent of the deaths.

“This is unprecedented,” saidMs  Russell, who had just returned from a trip to southern Gaza. “I am haunted by what I saw and heard.”

03:59 PM GMT

Pictured: IDF investigating Hamas tunnels

03:53 PM GMT

Cameron meets counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries

British foreign minister David Cameron has met his counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries in London to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“We discussed how to use this step forward to think about the future and how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people”, Cameron said in a statement.

Foreign Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as the Secretary General of the League of Arab States and Ambassador of Qatar attended the meeting, Britain said.

03:39 PM GMT

Israeli army says intercepts cruise missile

The Israeli military has said it intercepted a cruise missile fired towards the south of the country.

After reports of “an infiltration by a hostile aircraft” near the southern Red Sea resort of Eilat, an Israeli fighter jet “successfully intercepted a cruise missile that was launched toward Israel”, it said in a statement.

“No infiltration into Israeli territory was identified,” the military added.

Yemen’s Huthi rebels, who have declared themselves part of the “axis of resistance” of Iran’s allies and proxies, have fired a series of drones and missiles towards Israel since the Gaza war erupted on October 7.

03:27 PM GMT

South Africa hopes Gaza truce bolsters efforts to end conflict

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the four-day agreement and said he hoped the deal would bolster efforts to achieve an outright end to the conflict.

Mr Ramaphosa has been one of the most prominent voices on the African continent on the brutal war between Israel and Hamas.

South Africa’s strong support for Palestinians dates back to former President Nelson Mandela’s days, with the country likening their plight to its own before the end of apartheid in 1994. Israel rejects the comparison.

“It is my hope that the achievement of this pause will strengthen efforts to achieve an outright end to the current conflict,” Mr Ramaphosa said in a statement, reported by Reuters.

He said there needed to be a durable political resolution in the Middle East.

03:14 PM GMT

Saudi foreign ministers cautiously welcomes the agreement

Saudi’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, was cautious in response to the Israel-Hamas deal.

“It’s good news.. but only one step in the right direction,” he said, speaking at a press conference in London.

He added: “We hope it can be a basis for extended pauses which lead to a ceasefire.”

Speaking at a news conference, he said they had been “tasked to convey a message to the world – the violence in Gaza must stop immediately”, the BBC reported.

02:52 PM GMT

Israeli army says intercepts cruise missile fired at southern Israel

The Israeli military on Wednesday said it intercepted a cruise missile fired towards the south of the country.

After reports of “an infiltration by a hostile aircraft” near the southern Red Sea resort of Eilat, an Israeli fighter jet “successfully intercepted a cruise missile that was launched toward Israel”, it said in a statement.

02:31 PM GMT

284 patients evacuated to Egypt since fighting began

Gaza has evacuated 284 patients to Egypt since Israel launched attacks on the enclave following the October 7 massacre, according to Egyptian government press office director Ayman Walash.

He added that 2,222 tons of medical aid had been delivered via the Rafah crossing, as well as 6,063 tons of food, 4,625 tons of water, and 1,407 tons of other aid.

Since November 21, 378 tons of fuel have been delivered.

02:15 PM GMT

Switzerland looks to ban Hamas

The Swiss government announced Wednesday it would bring forward a draft law by the end of February explicitly banning Hamas activities or support for the Palestinian militant group within Switzerland.

“The Federal Council decided to draft a federal act banning Hamas, considering this to be the most appropriate response to the situation that has prevailed in the Middle East since October 7,” the government said in a statement.

“The act will provide the federal authorities with the necessary tools to counter any Hamas activities or support for the organisation in Switzerland.”

The Swiss government also called for respect for international humanitarian law and particularly the protection of civilians in Gaza.

01:58 PM GMT

Hostage exchange to be repeated later this month

The Israel-Hamas deal agreed on Wednesday for the freeing of 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners will be repeated later this month, a Palestinian official told Reuters.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that would mean a total release of 100 of the around 240 people Hamas seized on October 7.

In return, Israel would free a total of 300 Palestinian prisoners in the two exchanges - a number corresponding to a list of women and teenaged male inmates it published on Wednesday as candidates.

“The second batch will follow the first batch. They would need four or five days to organise it will involve 50 Israeli (hostages) in return for 150 Palestinian (prisoners),” the Palestinian official said. He said the prisoners would include elderly, women and children and the conditions will be the same.

Israeli officials did not immediately confirm this. But Israel has offered, in a cabinet statement, to extend the pause by a day for every additional 10 hostages handed over by Hamas.

01:43 PM GMT

Pictured: Israeli soldiers repair equipment in southern Gaza

01:27 PM GMT

Jeremy Hunt announces funds to combat antisemitism

Jeremy Hunt expressed his “horror” in parliament today at the October 7 massacre and loss of life on both sides since then.

The chancellor also announced additional funds to fight antisemitism.

He said:

“I am deeply concerned about the rise of antisemitism in our country, so I am announcing up to £7m over the next three years for organisations like the Holocaust Educational Trust to tackle antisemitism in schools and universities.

“I will also repeat the £3m uplift to the Community Security Trust. When it comes to antisemitism and all forms of racism, we must never allow the clock to be turned back.”

01:16 PM GMT

Syria's two main airports still shut month after Israeli strikes

Syria’s two main airports are still shut a month after simultaneous Israeli strikes put them out of service - the longest such closure since the Syrian conflict began, a war monitor said Wednesday.

Flights to and from Damascus and Aleppo airports have been suspended since the October 22 strikes damaged the runways.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said both airports “are closed” despite the completion of repair works.

Syrian authorities did not respond to an AFP request for comment on the extended closures.

Since Syria’s conflict began in 2011 after the government repressed pro-democracy protests, Israel has repeatedly targeted Damascus airport, but this is the first time the country’s main such facility has been shut for a month, Abdel Rahman added.

01:05 PM GMT

IDF will implement 'operational pause' rather than ceasefire

The Israeli Defence Forces will be implementing an “operational pause” rather than a ceasefire, a spokesperson has said.

“Our terminology is not ceasefire, our terminology is an operational pause,” Lt Col Richard Hecht, the IDF’s international spokesperson, told a briefing.

He added that the IDF was still waiting on the final details of the agreement and that he could not confirm when the fighting would stop or how it would operate.

“We still haven’t got the nitty gritty of this framework,” he said.

“We still have probably, maybe a day-plus before this thing matures, and things can happen in that day. And I assume today is going to be a day of fighting in Gaza.”

12:56 PM GMT

Israel launches strikes on Damascus, says Syria

The Syrian Army has accused Israel of launching aerial strikes on outposts in the vicinity of Damascus.

Syrian state television said the country’s air defences shot down one of two missiles launched from the Golan Heights.

There were no casualties or damage, the Syrian Army added.

The IDF declined to comment.

12:43 PM GMT

Maldives considers banning Israeli tourists

The Maldives could ban Israeli tourists from visiting the tropical Indian Ocean island.

An MP in the Muslim-majority country has proposed a bill that would stop holidaymakers from Israel visiting.

The two countries have never had diplomatic relations.

12:33 PM GMT

SNP urges PM to call for permanent ceasefire

The SNP urged the Prime Minister to call for a permanent ceasefire in the Middle East now that a humanitarian pause had been brokered.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn told the Commons: “I think all of us in the chamber are united in our relief at reports that hostages are due to be release by Hamas in Gaza, but we can’t afford to lose sight of what comes at the other side of the temporary pause in hostilities that we are about to see.

“At the end of four days do we simply see the return to the killing of children in Gaza every 10 minutes?

“Or do we choose in this House to instead back a permanent ceasefire?”

Rishi Sunak replied: “Of course we want to see all hostages released as quickly as possible, including British nationals, and I would urge all parties involved to deliver the agreement in full.”

The Prime Minister thanked Qatar for its role in the negotiations, and said the UK would “maximise the opportunity of this temporary pause to step up aid to suffering civilians in Gaza”.

12:25 PM GMT

Sunak welcomes ceasefire as 'crucial step'

Rishi Sunak welcomed the humanitarian paused agreed in the Israel-Hamas conflict as a “crucial step towards ending the nightmare” for the families of those taken hostage.

The Prime Minister told the Commons: “We welcome the agreement reached overnight for a humanitarian pause in Gaza.

“This is something that we have consistently pushed for and is a crucial steps towards ending the nightmare for families of those taken hostage in Hamas’s terror attack and also addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

12:12 PM GMT

UN welcomes Israel-Hamas deal as 'important step'

The United Nations on Wednesday welcomed the deal between Israel and Hamas, but said much more needed to be done.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres “welcomes the agreement reached by Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Qatar supported by Egypt and the United States”, a spokesman for Guterres said in a statement.

“This is an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done,” they added.

12:01 PM GMT

Eight killed in US airstrike in Iraq

At least eight pro-Iranian fighters were killed by US strikes in Iraq today, according to the Iraqi group.

The United States said the strikes were in response to attacks on their troops.

The Hezbollah Brigades, a pro-Iran group within Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi, said that the US bombardment “left eight martyrs” and “will not go unpunished”.

11:49 AM GMT

Ceasefire to begin at 10am tomorrow, according to reports

A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is expected to begin tomorrow at 10am local time (8am GMT), according to Hamas officials.

11:39 AM GMT

More than 1,000 wounded arrive at Kamal Adwan hospital overnight

More than 60 dead and 1,000 wounded people have arrived at Kamal Adwan hospital since last night, the hospital’s director has claimed.

Ahmed al-Kahlout told Al Jazeera:

The reports have not been independently verified.

11:19 AM GMT

Israeli troops display flag in Gaza

Israeli troops have been photographed displaying the flag of the Israel Border Police inside of Gaza.

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who yesterday cautioned against Israel striking any deal with Hamas, shared the imagine on X.

He wrote: “The flag of the Border Guard is raised proudly in the heart of Gaza – in memory of the soldiers of the Border Guard who fell. Keep yourselves heroes, eliminate as many enemies as possible and return to us in peace.”

10:54 AM GMT

Arab ministers welcome truce

Arab foreign ministers welcomed an agreement for a temporary truce but said it should be extended and become a first step toward a full cessation of hostilities.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan said at a roundtable discussion with journalists in London that the agreement, which includes hostage releases and stepped-up aid into the devastated Gaza Strip, should also ultimately lead to a resumption of talks for a two-state solution.

The Arab foreign ministers are leading a so-called contact group of mostly Muslim countries which are lobbying Israel’s major allies to bring about an end to the Gaza war.

10:40 AM GMT

Erdogan may visit Egypt to discuss Gaza patients

President Tayyip Erdogan said he may travel to Egypt soon and discuss how to accelerate the evacuation of patients from Gaza and other steps, broadcaster Haberturk and other Turkish media reported on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters on his plane returning from a trip to Algeria, Erdogan was reported as saying the Islamic world must act in a spirit of unity and solidarity on Gaza, and that Israel must be forced to comply with international law and give account of its actions in Gaza.

10:33 AM GMT

Hostage recovery to begin tomorrow

The process of recovering Israeli hostages is due to begin tomorrow, according to the country’s foreign minister.

10:25 AM GMT

At least 400 Hamas tunnel shafts destroyed

At least 400 tunnel shafts have been destroyed by Israeli troops in Gaza since the beginning of the ground offensive last month.

Soldiers from the Israeli Defence Forces’ elite Yahalom combat engineering unit have played a key role, the IDF said.

Entrances to the tunnels have been uncovered embedded in civilian infrastructure, including inside hospitals, schools, residential buildings and other sites.

Israel has used the discoveries to bolster their claims that Hamas has used the Palestinian population as human shields.

10:12 AM GMT

Patients evacuated from al-Shifa Hospital

Patients are being evacuated from al-Shifa Hospital by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

They have dispatched 14 ambulances, accompanied by the UN and Doctors Without Borders.

Kidney patients will be transferred to Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, while those injured by Israeli strikes will be transferred to the European hospital south of Khan Younis.

10:05 AM GMT

Macron welcomes ceasefire deal

French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the agreement between Hamas and Israel.

“We are working non-stop so that all the hostages are freed,” he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The French presidency did not return requests for a comment on French media reports that three French hostages could be liberated initially.

09:43 AM GMT

IDF continues operations in Gaza

The Israeli Defence Forces are continuing operations in Gaza as a ceasefire looms on the horizon.

09:39 AM GMT

Israeli strikes target Hezbollah

Israeli fighter jets are carrying out strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli Defence Forces.

The IDF said that the targets include a military compound where terrorists had convened, alongside other infrastructure.

The strikes follow rising tensions along the border and repeated attacks by Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions.

09:21 AM GMT

Conflict between Israel and Hamas has gone beyond war to 'terrorism', Pope says

Pope Francis on Wednesday met separately with Israeli relatives of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians with family in Gaza and said the conflict had gone beyond war to become “terrorism”.

Speaking in unscripted remarks at his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square shortly after the early morning meetings in his residence, Francis said he heard directly how “both sides are suffering”.

09:13 AM GMT

Six Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on West Bank

Six Palestinians were killed on Wednesday in Tolkurm camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement.

The Palestinians were targeted in an Israeli drone strike, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported earlier on Wednesday.

Another Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces near the city of Qalqilia, WAFA said, raising the number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday to seven.

09:05 AM GMT

Senior Palestinian official welcomes truce deal

The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday welcomed a humanitarian truce agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a senior Palestinian official said.

“President Mahmud Abbas and the leadership welcome the humanitarian truce agreement, value the Qatari-Egyptian effort made and reaffirm the call for a comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the entry of humanitarian aid,” senior official Hussein al-Sheikh wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

08:53 AM GMT

Injured Palestinians fill hospitals

Palestinians injured as a result of the attacks of the Israeli army are being taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for treatment in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

08:41 AM GMT

Jordan hopes Gaza truce will be a step to end the war

Jordan said on Wednesday it hoped the Gaza truce would be a step that would end the war in Gaza and prevent the targeting of Palestinians and their displacement from their land.

In a statement on state media, the foreign ministry said it hoped the four-day pause will allow much-needed humanitarian aid.

08:33 AM GMT

Almagor Terror Victims Association to petition Israeli high court

The Almagor Terror Victims Association is set to file a petition against the hostage and ceasefire deal in Israel’s high court at noon today.

In a letter to Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Almagor founder Meir Indoor said:

“Almagor demands to see the list of prisoners Israel is considering releasing as part of the deal.

“The organisation also demands to see all details of the commitments Israel is making to Hamas regarding restrictions on combat during the ceasefire period, including the cessation of intelligence gathering, as well as the delivery of fuel and other supplies which may help Hamas conduct terror operations against residents of Israel.’

“Additionally, they call on justice minister Yariv Levin to disclose ‘the general commitments Israel is making to Hamas that have been given directly or through a third party.’”

08:07 AM GMT

Israeli operations in Gaza continue

Operations by the Israeli Defence Forces are ongoing in Gaza, with strikes being carried out against infrastructure and ground clashes with Hamas fighters.

The 7th Armored Brigade called in a number of airstrikes overnight, the IDF said, adding that the attacks were against sites where gunfire was directed at troops.

Sheikh Za’id, near Jabaliya, was raided by troops from the Givati Infantry Brigade and a number of Hamas observation posts were destroyed.

Several Hamas terrorists were killed as the Harel Armored Reserve Brigade struck Hamas tunnel infrastructure in northern Gaza, the IDF added.

A building in northern Gaza sheltering Hamas operatives and weapons was also destroyed by the 261st Reserve Brigade, killing those inside.

07:55 AM GMT

Iran's foreign minister starts regional tour

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian is starting a regional tour following the announcement of the truce, the Nournews agency affiliated to Iran’s top security body reported on Wednesday.

“The visit is in line with Iran’s diplomatic efforts to halt the Zionist regime’s attacks on Gaza, lift the blockade and send humanitarian aid to the oppressed people of Gaza,” Nournews said.

Amirabdollahian will travel to Lebanon today.

07:41 AM GMT

Ceasefire is 'crucial step', says Lord Cameron

Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said the temporary ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was a “crucial step”.

Hamas will release dozens of hostages in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Lord Cameron said:

07:30 AM GMT

At least 53 journalists killed in conflict

At least 53 journalists have been killed in the conflict since October 7, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The total includes 46 Palestinians, four Israelis and three Lebanese, the CPJ said.

A reporter and photojournalist working for Lebanese media outlet Al Mayadeen are the most recent deaths.

They were killed on Tuesday during Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, where tensions have flared in recent weeks.

The CPJ said that the conflict has been the deadliest period for journalists since it began tracking data in 1992.

“CPJ is also investigating numerous unconfirmed reports of other journalists being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened,” the statement added.

07:21 AM GMT

Israel lists Palestinian prisoners slated for release under Gaza deal

Israel provided details on Wednesday about Palestinian prisoners slated for release under a foreign-mediated deal to recover hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza, a publication that appeared intended to allow for any last-minute legal challenges.

The list posted on the Justice Ministry appeared to include 300 prisoners, twice the jailed 150 females and minors that Israel has agreed to free in return for 50 hostages.

07:09 AM GMT

France hopes for release of its hostages

France hopes its eight citizens believed held as hostages will be released as a result of a truce deal between Israel and Hamas, Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna said on Wednesday.

“We hope that there will be French people among the first batch of hostages to be released,” Colonna told France Inter radio.

06:24 AM GMT

Europe promises 'surge' in aid

Ursula Von der Leyen, European Commission President, says that she welcomes the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas on the release of the 50 hostages and on a pause in hostilities in Gaza.

“The European Commission will do its utmost to use this pause for a humanitarian surge to Gaza,” she said in a statement.

As this picture of the United Nations delivering supplies on Tuesday shows, people in Gaza are desperate for basics like fresh water:

06:19 AM GMT

Russia responds

Russia “welcomes” a humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas, according to Moscow’s foreign ministry.

“Moscow welcomes the agreement between Israel and Hamas on a four-day humanitarian pause,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a post on Telegram.

Has Putin been trying to use the Israel-Palestine conflict to try to restore Russia’s reputation?

 Listen to expert analysis from Telegraph journalists

06:14 AM GMT

Hopes for birthday reunion

The family of American-Israeli hostage Abigail Edan are praying for the release of the little girl, who turns four on Friday.

“For our family, we have spent the last seven weeks...worrying, wondering, praying, hoping,” Abigail’s great aunty Liz Hirsh Naftali. told CNN.

“The one thing that we all hold on to is that hope now that Abigail comes home, she comes home by Friday...her 4th birthday. We need to see Abigail come out and then we will be able to believe it.”

Abigail’s parents were murdered at a kibbutz during the terror attack by Hamas on October 7.

04:38 AM GMT

Joe Biden reacts

The White House issued a statement from the US President:

“Jill and I have been keeping all those held hostage and their loved ones close to our hearts these many weeks,” Mr Biden said.

“I am extraordinarily gratified that some of these brave souls, who have endured weeks of captivity and an unspeakable ordeal, will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented.”

He added: “Today’s deal should bring home additional American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all released.”

04:34 AM GMT

Deal could 'seed bigger agreement'

Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear Israel will continue fighting at the end of the ceasefire, declaring last night “we will continue the war” until “we achieve all our goals”.

Qatari mediators, however, expressed hope the deal reached on Wednesday morning would lead to a permanent ceasefire.

Qatar’s chief negotiator, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, told Reuters that the International Committee of the Red Cross would be working inside Gaza to facilitate the hostages’ release during the “intensive period”.

“We’re going to be 24/7 in direct communication with the ICRC and the two parties making sure that we perfect the release of the hostages,” Mr Al-Khulaifi said.

He said that the truce means there would be “no attack whatsoever. No military movements, no expansion, nothing.”

Mr Al-Khulaifi added that Qatar hopes the deal “will be a seed to a bigger agreement and a permanent cease of fire. And that’s our intention.”

He added: “In our understanding it’s the light at the end of the tunnel. It is a positive development to this very difficult and complicated crisis that we’re living.”

03:38 AM GMT

First hostages could be freed in 24 hours

If everything goes to plan, the first of 50 hostages – all women and children – will be released by Hamas during a ceasefire to start as early as tomorrow.

Israel and Hamas have agreed on a complete pause in fighting for four days but that may be extended if the terror group frees more hostages, according to a US official who briefed journalists overnight.

“In terms of proof of life, we are confident that the 50 are there and will come out and we we believe there are others being held in this category [women and children],” the official said, adding “we do anticipate it’ll be more than 50”.

If Hamas need “additional days” to collect extra hostages before releasing them “that’s something that we’ll deal with”, the official said.

Washington also expressed hope the deal would lead to full pause in hostilities on the north of the Lebanese border.

02:18 AM GMT

Three Americans expected to be included in Gaza hostage release

Three Americans held by Hamas in Gaza since its attack on Israel last month are expected to be among at least 50 hostages to be released by the terrorist group, a senior US official said.

The three include a three-year-old girl whose parents were among the more than 1,200 people killed in Hamas’ initial Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

The American girl, named Abigail, will turn four on Friday, the official said. The hostage group will also include two American women.

Initial releases of hostages are expected within 24 hours of the deal’s announcement, with the first likely to be freed on Thursday morning, the official said.

“I would say it’s at least 50 of the women and children over a period of four to five days,” the official said, without providing details of any other nationalities expected to be released.

02:13 AM GMT

Hamas welcomes 'humanitarian truce'

Hamas released a statement welcoming the “humanitarian truce”, which it said would also see 150 Palestinians released from Israeli jails.

“The provisions of this agreement were formulated according to the vision of the resistance and its determinants that aim to serve our people and enhance their steadfastness in the face of aggression,” a Hamas statement said.

02:03 AM GMT

Hard-Right revolt

We are hearing more about the mood inside the meeting room.

The vote passed after six hours of tense discussions in Tel Aviv.

Officials from Qatar, which has been mediating negotiations, as well as the US, Israel and Hamas had for days been saying a deal was imminent.

But before the vote this morning there was believed to be a revolt by hard-Right coalition partners who were opposing the release of Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of aid to Gaza.

Urging ministers to support the ceasefire deal, Benjamin Netanyahu reminded his colleagues on Tuesday night that the hostages’ return was a “sacred and top goal”.

01:39 AM GMT

Women and children prioritised

Israel says the first hostages to be released would be women and children.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stipulated during the government meeting that the agreement would include visits by the Red Cross to hostages who have not yet been released, as well as the supply of medicine.

According to Haaretz news agency, which cited a senior Israeli official, Hamas would be expected to release 30 kidnapped children, eight mothers and 12 more women.

01:27 AM GMT

Good morning

We have just received confirmation that Israel’s government has approved a ceasefire deal with the Hamas militant group.

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