Israel and Hamas have reached a deal to exchange 50 of the hostages held in Gaza for a four-day pause in fighting.
The agreement should also see 150 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli jails released and an increase in humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza.
The pause was initially expected to start at 10:00 on Thursday, but a top Israeli official now says the hostages will not be freed before Friday.
The US president said the deal would end the hostages’ “unspeakable ordeal”.
He also said it would “alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families”.
The Israeli government vowed to complete its war to eliminate Hamas and return the rest of the more than 200 hostages who Hamas gunmen kidnapped during a cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October in which 1,200 people were killed.
Hamas – which Israel, the US and other Western powers class as a terrorist organisation – said the deal would give Palestinians time to recover after an intense Israeli air and ground assault which its government in Gaza has said has killed more than 14,000 people.
(BBC News)
