LIVE UPDATES: Israel to Continue Military Operation With ‘Full Force’ After Pause Ends - UN Envoy

The prime minister's comment came against the background of a Qatar-brokered agreement between Israel and Hamas on a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.

"The negotiations on the release of hostages are advancing and continue unabated. The release will begin on Friday at the earliest in accordance with the original arrangements," the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted Hanegbi as saying.

"President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss the deal to secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its brutal assault against Israel on October 7th and the latest developments in the region," the White House said, as quoted by the press pool.

Erdan called Hamas solely responsible for what is taking place in Gaza and added that once it is gone, Gazans will have a chance for a "brighter future."

Israel and Hamas agreed on a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting on Wednesday. It is expected to take effect on Tuesday morning. As part of the temporary truce, Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 50 hostages taken by the Palestinian group.

The Chinese diplomat also said that efforts must be increased to promote all initiatives aimed at protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip and beyond.

This is why we need to defeat this increasing hatred, she added.

The ambassador also noted that Russia has to date seen no persuasive proof of allegations that Hamas’ command posts and bunkers were located in such facilities.

Griffiths stated that UNRWA would continue do its best to provide aid for people both in the north and south, noting that it still had 5,000 staff working on the ground despite suffering more than 100 casualties in the war. He mentioned that the UN had a plan to repurpose schools as distribution points.

In Russell’s view, the effects of violence perpetrated on Palestinian children have been “catastrophic, indiscriminate, and disproportionate.”

Some two-thirds of all the people killed in Gaza are women and children, she said.

The group added that it would expand the range of targets if the strikes continued.

Earlier in the day, Israel and Hamas confirmed that they had agreed to a four-day humanitarian pause in Gaza, with the cessation of all hostilities and the release of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Under the proposed agreement, Hamas will free 50 Israeli women and children held hostage in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children jailed in Israel. The exchange would take place in groups over a four-day ceasefire in Gaza.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hamas confirmed that it had agreed with Israel on a four-day truce in the Gaza Strip including the cessation of all hostilities and the release of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. Israel's cabinet said later in the day that the truce deal provided for the release of 10 Israeli hostages per day, while Israel pledged to free Palestinian prisoners as soon as the first group of hostages returned to the country.

Lebanon has lost hundreds of hectares of fertile land, the minister said.

In total, 100 out of 240 people captured by Hamas will be returned to Israel, the official said on condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that 12 relatives of Israeli hostages would meet with the pontiff.

In October, UNRWA said that more than 1 million residents of the Gaza Strip had been forced to flee their homes due to the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"For each release of a group of 10 hostages, a ceasefire lasting 24 hours will be provided," the document said.

"I welcome the agreement between Hamas and Israel that should lead to the release of hostages and pause the hostilities and enable the delivery of humanitarian aid," Stoltenberg told reporters.

During the first four days, 30 children, eight mothers and 12 other women will be released, the newspaper said, adding that the first hostages could be freed as early as Thursday. During the second phase, non-Israeli hostages could be released.

The list of prisoners set to be freed is compiled with the participation of Hamas and international mediators — Qatar, Egypt and the United States, he added.

Hamas is expected to release 12 people per day under the hostage deal with Israel, with women and children first to be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross and then to the Israel Defense Forces, the i24 broadcaster reported on Wednesday.

The list also includes members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement convicted of attempted murder, attacks on Israeli security forces, and throwing explosive devices.

Most of those 287 are held for rioting and rock-throwing in the West Bank or East Jerusalem, while the remaining 13 people on the list are women, mainly convicted of attempted stabbings, the newspaper said.

The list — solely consisting of women and teenagers under 18 years old — includes the names of those people who will be released if the deal is prolonged.

A recent demonstration earlier in November took place at the University of San Francisco, where they carried signs such as "Free Palestine" and "Stop the Occupation" and demanded a ceasefire in Gaza as part of the "Shut It Down for Palestine" movement.

"Moscow welcomes the agreement between Israel and Hamas on a four-day humanitarian pause. This is exactly what Russia has been calling for since the beginning of the escalation of the conflict," Zakharova said.

The two meetings will be of an exclusively humanitarian nature and seek to convey the pontiff's "spiritual closeness" to those suffering from the conflict.

The president also thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi and Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for "their critical leadership and partnership in reaching this deal," as well as appreciated the commitment that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government "made in supporting an extended pause to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza."

"Israel has an atomic bomb. We have applied to the appropriate institutions and continue to do so. We will take initiatives both in the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency on this issue, which threatens the security of the entire region, including Turkiye," Turkish newspaper Hurriyet quoted Erdogan as telling a business forum in Algeria.

Qatar reaffirmed its commitment "to ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, stop the bloodshed, and protect civilians" in the Gaza Strip and appreciated the efforts of Egypt and the US in reaching the agreement.