1,30,000 litres of fuel, 200 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily during pause: Egypt

Tel Aviv: In a breakthrough agreement, Egypt announced the daily entry of 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid, a total of 1,30,000 litres of diesel, and four trucks of gas into the Gaza Strip during a temporary ceasefire starting at 7 am (local time) on Friday, The Times of Israel reported.

The highly anticipated deal involves the release of 50 Israeli hostages, primarily women and children, by Hamas over a four-day period, accompanied by the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners.

The hostage-and-truce agreement, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, follows the abduction of 240 people by Hamas and other terror groups on October 7 during a violent rampage in southern Israel, resulting in the death of 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

The negotiations outline a four-day ceasefire, with hostages released in groups daily.

The initial release, set for Friday afternoon, involves 13 women and children, as reported by The Times of Israel. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, confirmed the release but provided no details on the hostages or the route for security reasons.

The first 50 hostages are expected to exit through Egypt, CNN reported. Concurrently, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said that that 80 aid trucks carrying food, water, medical equipment, medications, and relief supplies entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Thursday.