This blog is closing now. You can continue to follow live coverage on a new liveblog here. Thank you for reading.
Summary
It’s approaching 4.30am in Gaza City and Tel Aviv. Here’s an overview of where things stand:
Eight Israeli hostages held in Gaza were released on Thursday. Hamas freed six of the hostages hours after releasing two Israeli women. All were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and were being brought to Israel to be taken to hospitals and be reunited with their families, the Israeli military said.
Israel released 30 Palestinians from Israeli jails as part of latest exchange, the Israel Prison Service said early on Friday. News agency images show them being welcomed by jubilant crowds Ramallah in the West Bank.
Hamas is willing to further extend the truce to pause fighting with Israel, a source close to Hamas has told Agence France-Presse. The extension is due to expire early on Friday after a seven-day pause. The source was quoted as saying mediators were making intense efforts to have the truce continued. Israel had yet to respond, AFP said.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said in Tel Aviv on Thursday: “Clearly, we want to see this process continue to move forward.” Blinken also stepped up calls for Israel to comply with international law and spare civilians in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Three people were killed and 13 injured after two brothers from East Jerusalem shot at people waiting at a bus stop on a main road towards the western edge of the city in the rush hour, local police and medics reported. Hamas’s armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack.
An Israeli military assault into the south of Gaza may lead to 1 million refugees, the head of the UN’s Palestine relief agency, UNRWA, has warned. After a second overnight visit to Gaza, Philippe Lazzarini urged Israel to think through the consequences of an offensive in the south if the temporary truce in the fighting was not extended.
Seventeen Thai hostages freed by Hamas over recent days have landed back in Bangkok, where relatives had gathered at the airport to welcome them home. The latest releases bring the total number of Thai nationals freed to 23, with nine still being held.
Updated
