New Delhi: A short agreement in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to ceasefire will start in a few hours and exchange of hostages is expected to take place on Friday, mediator Qatar said. The four day pause in fighting comes after nearly seven weeks of intense fighting.

According to the Qatar’s Foreign Ministry sources the ceasefire would begin at 10.30 am IST, while the first group of hostages will be released by Hamas hours later, around 7.30 pm IST.

The first batch of civilian hostages would consist of 13 women and children from the same families.  The number would rise up to 50 over the four days, according to the mediation by Qatar and the US.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was in contact with the families of the hostages after receiving a first list of names of those due to be released.

Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would also be released on Friday, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said, adding a list of names had been approved.

The agreement was orchestrated by Qatar and the US and officially announced earlier this week. The secretive effort included tense personal diplomatic engagement by US President Joe Biden, who held a number of urgent conversations with the emir of Qatar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the weeks leading up to the deal.

The agreement entailed a complete ceasefire with no attacks from the air or the ground and the skies clear of drones to allow for the hostage release to happen in a safe environment.

Hamas confirmed the cessation of hostilities would start at 10.30 am IST under the deal that is also intended to provide aid to Gaza’s 2.4 million residents struggling to survive with shortages of food, water, and fuel. It said a total of 50 hostages’ females, and males aged 18 or under would be freed, with three Palestinian prisoners to be released for each of them.