Israeli forces and Hamas militants have agreed to temporarily cease hostilities in Gaza, starting at 7am local time on Friday morning. Hundreds of aid trucks are ready to pour into the war-torn Palestinian enclave, while Hamas is expected to release the first group of hostages later in the day.
There has been no official confirmation from either the IDF or Hamas that the fighting has come to a halt. However, an Al Jazeera correspondent in southern Gaza claimed that the truce has already started and that attacks have ceased. βWe are witnessing a relative calm, that is gradually becoming more and more visible as there is a complete stop of fighter jets flying over the Gaza Strip,β he said.
According to Israeli media reports, rocket alarms were activated in the Israeli communities of Kissufim and Ein Hashlosha near the border with Gaza 15 minutes after the ceasefire was supposed to kick in.
