Gaza awaits Israel-Hamas truce deal: What does it mean and does it herald end of war?

The proposed truce between Israel and Hamas was put on hold for at least another day. As the two groups continued to wage war in the Gaza Strip, Israel said the four-day Gaza truce would not begin at least until Friday. Soon after Hamas confirmed that the pause will start on Friday around 10:30 am IST.

The truce involves a four-day cease-fire in war-hit Gaza and phased release of at least 50 hostages (by Hamas) in return for 150 Palestinian prisoner (held in Israel). Israel said the truce could last beyond the initial four days as long as the militants free at least 10 hostages per day.

Qatar said Israel would also allow more fuel and humanitarian aid into Gaza, but did not provide details. Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid and fuel are to be allowed to enter Gaza every day as part of the deal. "Supplies would also reach northern Gaza, the focus of Israel's ground offensive, for the first time," Hamas said.

However, Israeli Channel 12 TV reported that as part of the deal, Israel will allow a “significant” amount of fuel and humanitarian supplies into Gaza, but did not specify how much.

Israel, Hamas and Qatar had released different details of the agreement earlier. However, those details do not appear to contradict one another, news agency Associated Press had reported.

However, in a major blow to the families expecting a brief relief from the bombardment and atrocities, the deal was delayed by another day on Thursday.

Hamas and other Palestinian gunmen seized around 240 hostages during unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. In retaliation, Israeli launched an relentless airstrikes and a ground offensive in Hamas-run Gaza. More than 14,000 people, thousands of them children, have been killed in Israeli strikes.

Here's a sneak-peek into why was the Israel-Hamas deal delayed, what could the deal mean and what's the road ahead for the ongoing war?

Why was the Israel-Hamas deal delayed

A Palestinian official, with knowledge of the negotiation process, told news agency AFP on Friday that the delay stemmed from "last minute" details over which hostages would be released and how.

The report quoted the source as saying that the truce was put back over "the names of the Israeli hostages and the modalities of their release". Officials said lists of those to be freed had been exchanged by both sides.

"Questions were also being raised over Red Cross (a humanitarian network) access to the hostages before they would be released into Egypt," he said.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official source, speaking to AFP Thursday, blamed the delay on "additional demands by Hamas", but did not give details.

According to Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, negotiators were still “working to create the appropriate conditions” for the cease-fire and swap.

When will the Hamas-Israel deal come into effect?

According to AFP, Hamas confirmed that Gaza ceasefire will start at 0500 GMT (10:30 am IST) on Friday. “A pause in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza will start on Friday morning with the first hostages to be released hours later,” mediator Qatar said, after nearly seven weeks of fighting.

What does the Hamas-Israel deal means?

The deal is nothing but a brief halt in the exchange of hostilities (or a short break in the fighting) between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Moreover, reports claim that a significant number of hostages are likely remain in Hamas captivity, including men, women, older people and foreign nationals.

Besides, hundreds of thousands who have fled Gaza and headed south are not expected to be able to return home. Meanwhile, Israeli troops are expected to remain in their positions in northern Gaza, Associated Press reported.

Is Hamas-Israel truce an end the war?

Both sides said they will go back to fighting once the truce is over. Meanwhile, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and is expected to continue from where it left off once the four days of truce are over.

"We are not ending the war. We will continue until we are victorious," the chief of the Israeli general staff, Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, told commanders in a video released by the military on Thursday, AFP reported.

A break in fighting is likely to grant Hamas time to strategise, shift around militant positions and perhaps regroup, the Associated Press said.

"The staggered nature of the deal also opens the door for Hamas to up its demands on the fly, in the hopes that Israel would make more concessions to release more hostages," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)