TEL AVIV, Israel — A deal to pause the fighting in Gaza and exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners — originally expected to start on Thursday — will instead begin early Friday morning, according to the foreign ministry in Qatar, where the deal was negotiated.
The new start time for the anticipated four-day pause in the fighting would be 7 a.m. local time, according to a spokesperson for the foreign ministry in Qatar. The first group of 13 Israeli hostages — all women and minors — are expected to be handed over by Hamas after 4 p.m. local time, with Israel releasing Palestinians at that time, the foreign ministry said.
