Israel-Hamas war live: Gaza ceasefire agreed as first 13 hostages to be freed

David Cameron will meet with Palestinian leaders to discuss how Britain can help alleviate the crisis in Gaza after the announcement of a truce in the war between Israel and Hamas.

The foreign secretary earlier held talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and president Isaac Herzog as it was confirmed a four-day ceasefire will begin on Friday morning.

Lord Cameron will continue his visit to the region on Friday, meeting with Palestinian leaders to focus on how the UK can help respond to the crisis in Gaza.

“Tomorrow, in meetings with Palestinian leaders and aid agencies, he will focus on how UK efforts can help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” the foreign office said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“We are working towards a long-term political solution to this crisis.”

Hamas is set to release 23 Thai hostages it is holding in Gaza without any conditions, according to a report by the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news site.

The release of Thai hostages would not be connected to the deal reached by Israel and Hamas over the release of dozens of Israeli hostages held by militants as well as Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, the outlet said.

The announcement comes after Iran-mediated talks between the Palestinian militant group and the Thai government, it said.

Israeli forces intensified strikes from “air, land and sea” across Gaza between Wednesday and Thursday afternoon ahead of the scheduled truce, the UN said.

“Many casualties have been reported,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

About 200 patients and medical staff were awaiting evacuation at the Indonesian hospital in North Gaza, it said, adding that the hospital was surrounded by Israeli forces.

Three children, including an infant in an incubator died in Kamal Odwan hospital in North Gaza’s Jabalia on Wednesday due to the lack of electricity, the UN report added.

Thousands of people in Cuba led by president Miguel Diaz-Canel marched along Havana’s iconic boardwalk in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Wearing a black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, Mr Diaz-Canel on Thursday was accompanied by prime minister Manuel Marrero and foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez.

The marchers walked for 2km, passing in front of the US Embassy. Palestinian medical students who were in Cuba as part of a cooperation program joined the rally.

“Today we are supporting the Palestinian people, supporting all those people who feel the pain of having lost a family member, a loved one due to this massacre,” Yanquiel Cardoso, a physical culture specialist who participated told Associated Press.

“We are asking for a ceasefire … and for Palestine to be free.”

Many young people had posters with the phrase “Free Palestine” with crude photographs of children injured by bombs or flags identifying both Cubans and Palestinians.

As millions of Americans gather together for turkey and pumpkin pie, one New York family is desperately missing their 19-year-old son, who is still being held hostage by Hamas.

“Today is Thanksgiving. As Americans we have an empty seat at the table — you do not want to live in my universe,” his father Ruby Chen told The Independent.

His son Itay Chen was captured by the militant group during the deadly attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 civilians in Israel.

Bel Trew and Mike Bedigan report.

The chief of the World Health Organisation has joined the chorus of Arab leaders and Palestinian groups calling for the temporary truce agreed between Israel and Hamas overnight to be turned into a permanent ceasefire.

In a statement on X, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he “welcomed the announcement” from the early hours of this morning but that it was “not enough to end the suffering of civilians”.

“Efforts to free the remaining hostages must continue, and I reiterate that those still in captivity must receive any needed medical care,” he said.

“We continue to call for all hostages to be released. We also continue to call for a ceasefire so that civilians in Gaza can receive sustained, safe and scaled up support for recovery.”

Hamas is trying to “extort” Israel and hostages should be released without a price, Israel’s economy minister Nir Barkat told Sky News.

Asked about the number of Palestinian deaths, which the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says has surpassed 13,000, Mr Barkat says: “No, I’m sorry, I’m not willing to listen to this game theory. It is not about game theory, not numbers.

“It is very simple. We will go after all of Hamas. And we will do the best we can not to hurt innocent people, but they use them as shelter.”

A four-day ceasefire in Gaza set to begin on Friday will allow for the release of 50 hostages, the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid, and a brief respite from the relentless bombardment of the densely populated territory for more than two million civilians.

But what happens when it ends?

The short answer is that the war will continue, and it may be even bloodier than before. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it bluntly on Wednesday during a live address about the hostage deal. “The war continues,” he said. “We continue until we have achieved complete victory.”

Families of hostages, and Palestinians trapped in besieged Gaza wait anxiously for the start of a long-awaited truce and exchange of captives, in the first breakthrough in a bloody seven-week war, The Independent’s chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports.

At least 50 women and children captured by militants are expected to be gradually released over a four day period in exchange for a halt in fighting and the release of 150 Palestinian women and children jailed in Israel.

Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid – including fuel – would be allowed to enter Gaza.

The level of death and destruction in Gaza is “unparalleled”, Qatar’s foreign ministry has said, warning that while Friday’s truce is a vital step towards peace, “no amount of aid is going to be enough”, The Independent’s chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports.

Dr Majed Al-Ansari, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson, urged the international community to negotiate the unfettered flow of supplies into the Strip, on the eve of the first temporary ceasefire, which Doha was integral in pushing through.

Under the terms of the deal, during a four-day pause in fighting, Hamas militants will free 50 Israeli women and children hostages in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and teenagers in Israeli prisons.