Four-day truce between Israel and Hamas kicks in

With the clock striking 7 am, the four-day truce brokered by Qatar between Israel and Hamas has come into effect, Report informs via The Times of Israel.

The hours leading up to the temporary ceasefire saw rocket sirens triggered in Israeli towns bordering Gaza and reports of intense IDF shelling throughout Gaza, as the army looked to advance its mission against Hamas as much as possible in the final hours before the pause.

At 4 pm, 13 hostages held in Gaza will be freed, followed by an undefined number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, according to Qatari mediators.